Family Promise
by NewHampshireGirl
Summary: Tony and Leah are shocked to find a little boy living in their backyard. As the NCIS team begin to investigate where this child came from, they uncover a web of lies and treachery in America's Heartland. Post "Merry and Bright", Tony/OC, McGee/Delilah, additional warnings posted inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers:** I do not own NCIS or its characters; they belong to show creators and CBS.

 **Warnings:** Angst, implied abuse/neglect, Tony/OC, McGee/Delilah

 **A/N:** This story is something a little new from me. It does involve a case, but no dead body or terrorist or psychopath killer. I hope to post a chapter every couple of days as I continue to work on rewriting some other pieces in this verse. **As always I love to hear your feedback so don't be afraid to review or PM me :)**

* * *

 **Family Promise**

Eric loved the dark.

It was most unusual for a boy of six years old, but for Eric it meant he could move about the streets without being seen by adults that were going to take him back to that horrid group home.

He preferred the richer neighborhoods of Alexandria. He'd learned that people who had money were more likely to throw away scraps of uneaten food. Many of the families in this area also had sheds in their backyards that were left unlocked—good places to sleep during these winter months when no one was going in their shed to get tools for yard work. When he wanted to get warm, he'd venture to the downtown shops and stores, hide out there in clothing racks and behind nooks and crannies.

After picking a half-drunk bottle of apple juice and a half eaten chicken salad sandwich from the trash at a small coffee shop, Eric headed back towards his newest hiding space—a white shed in the backyard of a brick colonial home.

Today he had made it to the shed before anyone got home. The driveway was empty, the sun had already set behind the trees and today there was a brown paper bag by the back door filled with baby blankets and clothing.

Eric would never fit into those clothes, but he could use the blankets.

Snatching the bag up, he quickly made a getaway for the shed. Just as he shut the door the small space was flooded with headlights as a car pulled into the driveway.

Peering out the small window, Eric watched as a woman, dressed in gray jeans, knee high black boots, and a cream colored wool coat, got out of the SUV. She had long, golden brown hair, tucked underneath a dark red knit cap—on her shoulder was a big, black purse. She closed her door and opened the back one. When she emerged she was carrying a small boy and a little girl slid out of the car after her.

He noted that each child had their own backpack. The little girl wore her pink one on her back, the little boy's red one was in the free hand of the mother and the family retreated inside their house. Eric felt envious. He had never had his own backpack. At the group home he had carried his snack and lunch for school in a small, brown paper bag, every day.

Several minutes after the mother and two kids went inside another car pulled into the driveway. This time Eric watched a tall, broad shouldered man get out of the car. The man was dressed in a suit and tie, but unlike most men Eric had seen in this neighborhood, he carried a backpack.

In the warm glow cast from the lights inside the house, Eric could make out four letters on the bag. He wasn't sure what it stood for, not that he cared, but it give him something to remember this house.

From that moment on he now referred to the brick colonial house as the _NCIS_ house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warnings:** None for this chapter.

 **A/N:** Wow, I'm rather surprised (and appreciative) of the response this story has generated. I hope you all continue to enjoy it :)

* * *

Eric noticed that today the black SUV did not leave the driveway of the NCIS house. It poised a challenge when he got hungry because if the woman inside caught him she would surely call the police and he would be handed back over to the people that ran the crowded group home.

He waited in the shed for as long as he could and then snuck out, towards the silver trash cans that rested against the sturdy brick walls. He was careful when he took the covers off, quiet when he ripped the bags open and found something to eat.

Movement in the house sent him running for the hiding spot of the shed, leaving behind a pile of trash at the base of the can and the cover upside down on the driveway.

The back door opened and the woman stepped out, a bin of recyclables in her hand. Immediately she saw the disturbed trash bins. Eric held his breath while she grumbled and cleaned it up. He didn't release it until she had disappeared back inside. It was probably as good a time as any to go find somewhere to warm up. He could come back here at sundown.

Leaving behind his stash of food and blankets, Eric slipped out the shed, through a loose plank in the fence in the backyard, and disappeared into the woods.

* * *

"Did Leah get the clothes Breena left by the back door?" Jimmy Palmer asked, placing a coffee on his desk.

"What clothes?" Tony DiNozzo questioned, glancing up from his work.

Jimmy's eyebrows shot up underneath his spectacles. "Huh, she told me that she left a brown paper bag with hand-me-downs from her sister at your back door. They were all boy clothes and some baby blankets—stuff that we didn't really need."

Tony closed the file he was working on and plopped it in the _done_ stack on the left side of his desk. "If Leah got the clothes, she didn't mention it to me."

"So, ah, what are you working on?" Jimmy inquired, changing the subject.

"Slow day down in the basement, Palmer?" Tony countered, smiling.

"Yeah. Though, I suppose that's a good thing—means no one was murdered."

"That's the spirit, Jimmy boy—look for the silver lining."

Jimmy wasn't sure if he would call it a silver lining, but he went with it—partially because their conversation was cut short when the fax machine near Tony's desk whirred to life.

Tony glanced over at it and watched as a single piece of paper slid out. Reaching for it, he glanced the BOLO over and filed it away in the proper pile. It had been a slow day for all of them, almost eleven and the team had yet to catch a case. Which, was helpful, because Tony had a lot of paperwork to catch up on. He thanked Jimmy for the coffee, and with his completed reports in one hand, the coffee in the other, he made his way up to MTAC.

He was pretty sure that there was no one on the team that disliked inactivity more than Leroy Jethro Gibbs. In fact, it usually made the former marine cranky. Since Tony had returned to his post as SFA he had noticed a change in Gibbs. The team leader was more open, more welcoming to his team… at first it had freaked Tony and McGee out, but after a while they found they rather liked the warmer Gibbs.

On days that the team was mulling about doing paperwork, Gibbs mulled about with the Director in MTAC, often just lending an ear for Vance… or sitting there, quietly, like he was now. Gibbs was seated next to Vance, not saying much as the two men watched video of a Navy Seal team completely a raid on what was believed to be a terrorist compound.

"Boss," Tony said, sitting down next to the team leader. "Got those reports for you."

"Record time, DiNozzo," Gibbs said with a smirk. "Must be a slow day."

"I was here early," the senior field agent said with a shrug. "Wanted to get a head start."

Gibbs gestured for Tony to hand over the reports. "What are McGee and Bishop up too?"

Tony glanced at the screen, projecting the Seals' night vision cameras. "McGee was backing up all our case files and Bishop was going through cold cases. I was going to let them go have lunch soon. They were looking a little bleary eyed."

He chuckled and opened the first report. "Staring at computer screens and cold case files can do that to ya."

It was true, but Tony didn't get to agree with him. His phone beeped in the text tone that he had assigned to his wife. Startled, a little, because Leah very rarely texted him during the day, Tony slipped his phone out of his pocket and lit up the screen.

 _I think we have rodents. Trash bags were torn this morning._

"Sounds like you have raccoons," Gibbs said, having seen the text.

"Raccoons? In Arlington?" Tony questioned.

"Yeah, they'll go wherever the food is."

"Or in this case, the garbage?"

Gibbs chuckled. "Now you're catching on."

Tony rubbed a hand over his face. "Great. As if I wasn't dealing with enough having a wife, two kids, a baby on the way, a house to maintain and a job… now I have raccoons."

Vance chimed in, "Better hope they don't have rabies."

"Okay, well, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen," Tony said, standing and straightening his suit coat, "I have to go Google how to get rid of raccoons."

* * *

There really was no way to get _rid_ of raccoons, unless he wanted to call an exterminator, which cost money that he really did not want to spend—not with construction starting on their house in a few weeks to expand their living space. Tony was just going to have to move the trash bins into an area that the blasted animals could not get into them.

For now, that was going to have to be the garage. Tony lifted the heavy garage door and pulled each bin, one at a time, inside their detached garage. It meant a little extra work for him, but Leah would no longer be freaking out that there were possible rabid animals running around their yard. It was a good thing Rick Blaine was an indoor cat. He closed the garage door and noticed a loose plank in the fence as he headed back towards the house. Something else he was going to have to fix come spring.

"Garbage cans are in the garage," Tony announced, stepping into the kitchen. "We don't have to worry about rabid animals in the backyard, okay?"

"Thank you, honey," Leah said, smiling at him sweetly. She rose on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to give the kids their bath and get them to bed. Early drop off at daycare tomorrow—I have a staff meeting."

"Hey," Tony said before she left the kitchen. "Did you get that bag of clothes from Breena?"

"What bag of clothes?" Leah inquired.

Tony's brow furrowed. "Jimmy told me that Breena left you a bag of clothes from her sister that you might be able to use for Jack. You didn't get them?"

Leah shook her head. "No. I didn't see any bags when I got home yesterday. Maybe Breena decided to keep them after all, you know they've been discussing adopting now that Victoria is getting older."

He was confused. Why would Breena tell Jimmy that she had left a bag of clothes at their backdoor if she had in fact kept them? "Maybe the raccoons took them," he joked.

She laughed and kissed his cheek again. "Maybe," she said, before going to gather up Tali and Jack for their bath.

While she might have been able to laugh it off, Tony could not. The investigator inside of him was screaming that something was not right. There were just too many weird things not adding up. _Leah always tells you that you go to the worst case scenario first… maybe it really was just raccoons._

If he started to see little bandit like creatures running around wearing boy's clothing, he might start to think he was losing it. There was probably a good explanation why the clothes had vanished from their backdoor—and raccoons were not it. A prowler was more likely the culprit. Tony was going to have to think about upping his security system at home, maybe have McGee come out and install some cameras…

"Tony?" Leah called from upstairs. "Can you come help me? Please!"

"Coming!" Tony called back, containing his laughter. He knew she was going to need help. He did applaud her effort of trying to give two very active little DiNozzos a bath all by herself.

Pushing all the strange circumstances from his mind, Tony went upstairs to the kids' bathroom, found his wife covered in bubbles and his two kids in the tub, giggling madly.

* * *

Early the next morning Tony noticed foot prints in the freshly fallen snow—and they were not from raccoons. They were most likely made by a human and a small human at that.

Tony looked over at his family, seated at the breakfast nook. "Did you and the kids go out to play this morning?" he asked.

Leah looked up from her coffee and made a face. "Yeah, between showering, getting them breakfast, and ready for daycare—we went out and played in the snow."

"Well, there are small footprints in the yard," Tony said, gesturing out the window.

"Maybe one of the neighborhood kids cut through our yard to go to school," Leah suggested getting to her feet. "The fence is loose and they can slip right through the planks."

Tony frowned. "Promise, I'm going to fix those loose planks in the spring."

Leah smiled at him and pat his shoulder. "It's fine, Tony. It's cold out; they just want to get to school faster to get warm."

He poured some coffee into a travel mug. Fixing it to his likening, Tony tightened the lid and turned towards his wife. He gave her a tender kiss. "Be safe, love," he said with a soft smile.

She smiled back at him and returned his kiss. "I will, Tony, I promise."

"Alright," Tony said, going to give Tali and then Jack a kiss. "Be good munchkins. I love you."

"Bye, Aba," Tali said, grinning at him.

Tony grabbed his gear, the bag of trash that needed to go the garage, and slipped out the back door into the cold. Dropping his backpack near his car, Tony proceeded towards the garage, shivering and cursing the cold. _Blasted raccoons. Why couldn't they have eaten the neighbors trash?_ He thought as he lifted the garage door and stepped inside.

He had just put the trash bag into the bin when he heard something move behind him. Tony quickly glanced over his shoulder and caught a flash of brown, moving quickly towards the backyard. As he followed and rounded the corner, he made out that the flash brown had very distinct human features. Certainly not a raccoon.

The shed door opened and closed, startling him. Tony proceeded into the backyard, noticing the fresh set of little footprints in the snow. If it wasn't for the shed door opening and closing, Tony would have assumed it was one of the neighborhood kids making a dash for the opening in the fence and the school yard… but the shed gave it away that this wasn't a kid going to school…

"Hello? Is someone there?" Tony called into the yard, his hand instinctively going to his weapon.

Someone was shuffling about in the shed, probably looking for a place to hide. Tony reached out with his free hand and pulled the door back. He was not prepared for what he found as two frightened brown eyes gazed back at him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warnings:** Implied child abuse/neglect

 **A/N:** Hello readers! Here is another chapter for your reading pleasure! I hope you enjoy it! **Rozeboom** and **Guest,** thanks for your reviews.

* * *

Of all the things he could find living in his shed, a little boy was not at the top of Tony's list.

He didn't recognize the boy from any of the kids that ran around the neighborhood; no new families had moved in recently, either. It appeared that the child could have been living in their shed for a while. There were blankets, empty bottles, and wrappers, and there, in the corner was the bag of clothing Breena had dropped off the day before.

Tony felt several instincts kick in but he wasn't sure which ones to act on first—the ones as a cop or as a father? He recognized the look in the child's eyes; the look of a child that was lost and alone.

As he pondered his next move, the boy tried to run past him, but Tony was quick, grabbing the boy by the waist. The boy tried to fight his way out of Tony's grip. When he realized that Tony was not going to let him go, he stopped struggling.

"Please don't make go back," the little boy whimpered. "I'll go _anywhere_ but back there."

"I don't know where _there_ is, but you can't stay in my shed," Tony told the boy, gently. "It's cold. Why don't we go inside and talk about it, okay?"

"Are you going to call the police?"

 _I am the police,_ Tony thought with a slight shake of his head. "No. Unless you give me reason to call them."

The boy squirmed a little as Tony set him down, gripping his shoulder. His eyes darted about and the NCIS agent could tell that he was trying to find some way to escape. "You can have the bag of clothes back and the blankets, I only took them to keep warm. And I promise I won't take any more food out of your garbage."

Tony sighed and steered the boy towards the back door. "I think the Arlington Police have more important things to be dealing with than a trash thief but I already told you that you can't stay in my shed."

Defeated, the little boy slumped his shoulders as he was taken through the back door of Tony and Leah's house.

Leah was getting Tali and Jack bundled up to go. She was surprised to see Tony come back; she was under the impression that he had left for work already. She was even more surprised to see that there was a little boy being held firmly by the shoulder in Tony's strong grasp. Her eyes darted between her husband and the child and then back to her husband.

"We don't have raccoons," Tony said, softly, "We have a run away."

* * *

Eric knew he shouldn't have followed the man into the garage but he had been hungry. His plan had been to slip in and hide until the man had gone on his way; but that didn't happen. Eric had made too much noise and he'd been spotted.

Right now he was seated in the bright kitchen at a table, the couple's two kids coloring pages from a _Bob the Builder_ activity book—well, more like the scribbling, they were after all, very young. He watched as they chatted with each other, sharing their crayons peacefully. At the group home you didn't share anything because there was always the chance that you were not going to get it back.

Done the hall he could hear the adults talking in soft voices, no doubt trying to figure out what they were going to do with him. Already the woman had called and cancelled her meeting.

"Let him stay here for the day," the man said, "I'll make some phone calls, find out where he came from."

"He should be in school. Where are his parents?" the woman asked. "Someone has to be missing him."

Eric scrunched his nose up and looked at the little girl. She looked up at him and smiled. Those slobby, lazy people that were supposed to be taking care of him were probably not even aware he had been taken from their home; and the group home, there were so many kids there… his absence wasn't even a blip on the radar.

He heard footsteps on the hard wood floors. Glancing up from the table he saw the couple standing in front of him. They seemed friendly enough, they certainly showed that they cared more about him than any foster home his social worker had put him in.

Clearing his throat, the man spoke first, "Since you can't stay in our shed, we thought we'd let you spend the day here, inside the house. It's warm, has plenty of food and a pretty sweet cable package. If you're going to stay here, however, I'm gonna need a name."

"My name is Eric," he mumbled, brown eyes shifting between the man and woman.

"It's nice to meet you," the man said with a smile. "I'm Tony—this is my wife, Leah."

"Would you like something to eat, Eric?" Leah asked, gently. "Tali and Jack already had breakfast, but I can make you something."

Eric was hungry but he had never been asked if he _wanted_ something to eat before. It was always made and placed before him. "Can I have… a peanutbutter and jelly?"

Leah smiled. She was pretty and kind and what a mom was supposed to look like. "Absolutely. One peanutbutter and jelly sandwich come up!"

Tony leaned down and gave each of the little kids a kiss good-bye. "I'm really going to work this time," he told the children, "be nice to Eric and be good for Mama."

"Okay, Aba," Tali said, grinning at him and blowing him a small kiss. "Love you!"

"Bye bye, Dada," Jack said, waving his small hand.

Eric watched as Tony gave Leah a kiss good-bye and exited the house through the back door, headed off to his job. The boy had only seen these types of families in the movies—up until that moment he didn't actually believe they really existed.

Leah brought him a sandwich on a clean, fancy looking white plate. She had cut the crust off and poured him a glass of milk. It was better than any meal he had picked out of a trash can the last few days.

* * *

"So, did you fix your raccoon problem?" Tim McGee asked when Tony showed up at NCIS.

"Turned out it wasn't a raccoon," Tony said, dropping his backpack by his desk.

Ellie Bishop glanced up, curiously. "What was it then?"

Tony shrugged off his trench coat and booted up his computer. "A little boy; living in my shed."

"What?" Tim and Ellie gasped in tandem.

"Kid was living off our trash scraps and camped out in the shed," Tony replied, calling up the photographs he had emailed to himself from his phone. "I'm hoping we can locate his family."

Ellie and Tim joined Tony at the plasma screen, looking at the sad little face of a very young boy. It wouldn't be the first time that they had dealt with children that were abused or neglected—Tony had the most experience with them thanks to his time as a cop. However, it was still heartbreaking to think that no one was missing this child.

Tony crossed his arms over his chest. He had been monitoring all BOLOs that week that came through and not one of them was for the little boy that was currently spending time with his family. He knew that it was possible that no one was missing him but it still made him sick to his stomach. He was probably going to come up empty, but he was going to run Eric's photograph through their missing persons' database. Maybe… someone really was missing the little boy…

"Gear up," Gibbs commanded, pulling the three agents away from the plasma. "Training accident at Quantico." His blue eyes moved towards his agents when the three of them barely flinched. "Are you waiting for an invitation?" he asked, noticing the child's photograph on the plasma screen.

"Boss… I kind of… have an issue at home," Tony confessed, gently. "Turns out, Leah and I do not have raccoons invading our garbage for food—we have a little boy squatting in our shed."

"How long do you think he's been there?" Gibbs asked, equally as disturbed as Tony, Tim, and Ellie.

"Couple of days at least," Tony answered.

Gibbs felt his fatherly instinct kick in. "Have Abby run his photograph; you stay here and make some phone calls—McGee and Bishop and I can handle that crime scene at Quantico. We better get a move on—looks like we have more than one case to solve."

* * *

He had never seen such a clean, shiny bathroom before. The grout between the white tiles was actually mold free, the large tub was spotless and there were no signs of rust on the faucet or showerhead.

Eric sat on the tile floor, looking around and soaking in his surroundings. It was clear that this bathroom was used just for the two kids; he had seen some bath toys in the closet and the shower curtain was a whimsical floral pattern. A hand crafted wooden stool rested against the side of the sink and the towel that Leah grabbed from the closet had _Star Wars_ characters on it.

This was a first for him—along with this house having the cleanest bathroom he had seen; he had never been in a home that had more than _one_ bathroom.

"Do you want bubbles?" Leah asked him.

"Bubbles?" Eric repeated, confused.

"Special soap that goes into the bath water and makes it foamy," Leah said, holding up a bottle that read _Mr. Bubble._ "My kids like to play in them with their toys; makes bath time more fun."

"I've never had bubbles in my bath before," the little boy said, softly.

"Your mom never puts them in your bath?"

"Don't have a mom."

Leah's blue eyes filled with sadness. "What about your dad?"

Eric shrugged and tucked his chin to his chest. "I was always told they didn't want me."

"Who told you that?" she asked, reaching her hand out and gently running her fingers through his hair.

"My aunt, and then the foster family after I was taken away," he replied, refusing to cry even though he wanted to cry.

Leah stopped the water and placed some of Jack's boats into the tub. While they certainly couldn't take on caring for another child, both Tony and Leah had agreed that they couldn't send Eric back to his home. It was clear that he was in some kind of trouble—a well-cared for six-year-old did not run away from home. "Is that where you came from? Foster care?"

Eric nodded his head, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. "Please don't make go back there," he whimpered, afraid that once she found out he was from a group home, she would send him right back. "I hate that place."

She rubbed the back of his head, lovingly. "Why do you hate it?"

He sniffled. "The other kids were mean and I had to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag; they didn't have enough beds. As long as I was quiet, no one really cared if I was there or not."

"If Tony can find a better option for you, he'll make sure you go there and not go back," Leah told him.

"He can do that?" He questioned, not entirely trusting what she was saying to him.

"Yes. He's a federal agent."

"What's a federal agent?"

"A police officer for America."

Eric's brow furrowed as took the information in. "Like the FBI?"

Leah chuckled. "Yeah, but don't let Tony hear you say that. Okay, your bath is ready. Do want me to help you? Or would like some privacy?"

He wiggled out of his thin sweater. "I can wash myself."

She left him a towel and the door slightly open, giving him some privacy.

With a bit of grin on his face, Eric slipped into the warm bath water in the cleanest bath tub he had ever seen and decided that he wanted to stay there forever.


	4. Chapter 4

**Warnings:** Implied child abuse/neglect

 **A/N** : Thank you for the continued support. I am glad that everyone is enjoying this!

 **terisnape-** _Yes, little Eric is a part of the family now!_

* * *

By midafternoon the skies had turned grey, promising more snow to fall across the city later. Tony found himself in front of a building in downtown D.C that could have been an extension of that sky thanks to its dull brick. He had been led here by a contact in Metro that told him a few kids had run away from placements this office had put them in. It appeared that those kids had managed to work the system and slip through the cracks, disappearing into the background because they weren't kids that caused trouble.

Tony entered the building and soon figured out _why_ those kids slipped through the cracks. The building was not a state of the art office and while there was plenty of space for multiple workers, only a handful of desks were occupied.

He was quickly pegged as law enforcement and even more quickly ushered to the desk of the social worker he was looking for. She was a tiny thing, maybe only a couple of years removed from college. _Tough first job,_ Tony thought as he cleared his throat, "Miss Miller?"

Heather Miller glanced up, a thin strand of processed blonde hair falling in her eyes. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"I'm Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," Tony replied, showing her his credentials. "NCIS."

"Do we have a case involving the Navy?" Heather asked, confused. Out here in the slums of D.C they very rarely dealt with military families.

Tony put his credentials away and shook his head. "No," he replied, now taking out his phone and calling up the photograph of Eric. "Do you recognize this little boy?"

Heather bit down on her lower lip, nervously. "That's Eric. Did something happen to him?"

"I found him living in my shed this morning."

"What? He was… _is_ living at a group home."

"Well, he found his way to Arlington. I take it you were not aware that he was missing," Tony stated.

"No. I last talked to the operators of the group home a few days ago to check on my cases there. They didn't mention any problems with Eric," Heather replied. "Where… where is he now?"

Tony put his phone away. "He's at my house, with my wife. What can you tell me about him? Where did he come from?"

Heather stood up and went to a filing cabinet. She pulled a file out and handed it to Tony. "Not much, Agent DiNozzo. Sorry. I was handed the case from a retiring social worker two years ago. Eric was taken from his aunt when he was three; she was a heavy drug and alcohol abuser. He's bounced around from foster family to foster family and now the group home."

He opened the file and glanced at the top page. Tony's brow furrowed. "This says he was born in Kanas. Do you have the birth certificate? Any records of his biological parents?"

She shook her head. "His aunt always swore that his parents didn't want him and that they left him with her. I have to assume that they were just as troubled as she was."

"Do you know where in Kanas he was born?"

"Topeka, that's about it Agent DiNozzo."

"Well, it's better than nothing."

Heather crossed her arms over her slender body. "I'll come by your house at the end of the day and pick him up, Agent DiNozzo. I'm sorry to have burdened you with him."

Tony immediately thought that was a bad idea. Eric would just be placed in another home and run away again. He wanted to help the boy not get rid of him. "That won't be necessary. He isn't bothering us. I think it might be best if he stayed with us until we can, perhaps, find him a more permanent home."

She looked at him skeptically. "Agent DiNozzo, I only have so much to work with and, sadly, many people who are looking to adopt—want to adopt a baby."

He didn't want to abandon Eric. That little boy had been ignored his entire life. Tony knew how that felt. "Listen, he's only going to run away again if you take him to another foster family. At least at my house he'll have food, a warm place to sleep—my wife and I are no strangers to children—we have two of our own."

"I just don't want him to get too attached, Agent DiNozzo," Heather said. "It will only make things worse when he does have to leave."

"I want what is best for Eric," Tony said, firmly, "Taking him out of my home and putting him back in that group home is not what is best for him. I'm sure working together we can come up with something much better for him."

"Fine. He can stay with you for forty-eight hours," Heather said, "but no more than that."

"Sounds fair enough," Tony said. He held up the file. "Can I borrow this?"

Heather shrugged and nodded her head.

Tony thanked her and proceeded back out to his car. While he was driving back to the Navy Yard his cell phone rang. He pressed the button the steering wheel to answer. "DiNozzo."

Abby's voice filled the Charger. " _I got hit on Eric's photograph. You're not going to believe where he's from!"_

"Kanas?"

" _Wait? How did you… nevermind, it doesn't matter! What does matter is that Eric was abducted as a baby."_

He ran his tongue over his lips. "So, his biological parents are still out there."

She enthusiastically agreed. " _Yes! I found the original case file and forwarded it to your inbox. You should be able to contact the detectives in Topeka."_

Tony grinned. "Thanks, Abs. You're the best."

Abby laughed. " _I know. Gotta go, Tony; Gibbs just returned with a bunch of evidence from Quantico. Bye!"_

Before he got say good-bye she had hung up. Tony gripped the steering wheel as he came to a stop sign. Glancing about, Tony made the decision to head back to Arlington to check in on Eric. Something told him that Leah had already gotten attached to the little boy. If the NCIS agent could not find Eric's biological family he was going to find some way to keep the little boy in theirs.

* * *

Tali alerted everyone that Tony was home when she ran from the living room, gleefully shouting, "Aba's home!"

Leah, who had been doing some work at the kitchen table, was not entirely surprised that Tony had stopped by to check on Eric. She knew that her husband wasn't there to check on her, Tali, or Jack. She smiled at her husband as he came through the back door, scooping Tali up into a big hug.

Tony kissed his little girl on the cheek and shut the door. He set Tali down and watched as she ran off to play before he went to sit with Leah at the kitchen table.

"We're fine," Leah said, smiling at him. "Eric took a bath and has been playing with Tali and Jack all day."

"Good, I'm glad he's okay," Tony said, covering her hand with his own. "I spoke to his social worker."

"And?"

"She wasn't too surprised he ran away. Seems like she cannot find a placement that works for him."

Leah frowned, her blue eyes sad. "I wish we had room for him here. We can take care of him for a little while, but we're not a long term solution—not with a new baby on the way."

Tony stroked his thumb over her knuckles. "I know. If we can't locate his family, I've been thinking about other options for him."

She looked down the hall towards the living room where Eric was watching a movie with Tali. "Do you know where he came from?"

He nodded and sighed. "He might have been taken from his family as a baby from Kanas. I'm going to look into it once I get back to NCIS."

"It would be really nice if we could reunite him with his family," Leah said. "He's a lonely little boy."

"Not anymore," Tony said, bring her hand to his lips and kissing it. "We're going to make sure of it."

* * *

Detective Ryan Watts of the Topeka Police Department had not thought about the Barnes case in years, not since the case had been handed over to the Cold Case department. He hadn't thought about until today, when Tony had given him a phone call.

It appeared to Tony that the detective was surprised the boy had shown up in Washington. The entire department had apparently thought the child was dead—even wondering if perhaps his mother was the one that killed him. "Do you know where his parents are now?" the NCIS agent asked, feeling slightly agitated that the Topeka department had just dropped this case. He would search to the ends of the Earth and back for his children.

" _No, sorry Agent DiNozzo, they moved from Topeka about a year after their baby disappeared,"_ Watts replied. " _If you get in touch with Cold Case, they might be able to point you in the right direction."_

"Can you tell me about the case? Where was the baby reported missing from?"

" _Mother called it in. She claims she went to pick up the baby from the sitter and the sitter was gone."_

Tony's brow furrowed. "Didn't you look for the sitter?"

Watts scoffed at his implication that they had not done their jobs. " _Of course we did. There was no record of her even existing, Agent DiNozzo. Which is why we believed that the mother was lying to us."_

He could only imagine how Leah would feel if she was accused of lying about the whereabouts of her babies or if she was being investigated for murdering them… "Can you at least give me the name of the sitter?"

The detective didn't see what the problem was. He offered the information up freely. " _Hope you find something. This case has been nagging at the department for years."_

 _Sure it has,_ Tony thought as he hung up. Sighing, heavily, he rubbed his hands over his face. He would do anything—anything—for his kids. Even if that meant being a thorn in the side of the investigators looking for them if they were missing. How come Eric's parents had not stayed on top of the department? How come they didn't seem to be demanding answers? _Didn't anyone care about this boy?_

"Did you find something, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, entering the bullpen.

"More questions than answers," Tony replied.

"How's the boy?"

"Making himself right at home with Leah."

Gibbs laughed, sadly. "She has a motherly touch—he's probably never been taken care of like this before."

Tony shuddered. He knew what it was like not to be taken care of. "She's afraid if he gets too attached it's going to break his heart when he has to leave. I just hope he's leaving to go to a good home. Not back into foster care."

"He's lucky he found you, Anthony," the team leader said, truthfully. "Best damn thing that happened to him."

"Why's that, boss?" Tony asked.

"Because," Gibbs replied, "You're not going to abandon him; you're going to make sure he's taken care of."


	5. Chapter 5

**Warnings:** Implied child abuse/neglect

 **A/N** : Thank you for the continued support. I am glad that everyone is enjoying this! As always, I love to hear your feedback :)

 **None-** _I think Tony could convince Tim and Delilah to help out. If he can't convince Tim, he certainly could probably convince Delilah who would then convince Tim :)_

* * *

Tony waited until the last possible minute to leave work that day. He knew he'd missed dinner with the kids, if he was lucky he'd make it home in time to help Leah get them into bed. He had been hoping to hear back from Topeka before he left, which is why he was late leaving NCIS. However, the Cold Case detectives didn't appear to be in a rush to get back to him. Tony had finally left NCIS that evening without hearing a word from them. The ill feeling he'd had all day only got stronger when he stopped at the store to pick up some clothes and pajamas for Eric. If Eric was not the Barnes baby it meant that there were _two_ children that world apparently did not care about.

He wasn't naïve. Tony knew that there were plenty of children that were forgotten; he had seen many of them throughout his years in law enforcement—he just didn't want to think about it now that he was a father.

At home he found all three of the kids—Eric seated between Tali and Jack—watching a movie. Tony left them alone in the living room and headed towards the den where Leah was in front of a fire, reading.

"Stopped to get Eric some things," Tony said, putting the plastic bag down on his piano bench.

"How did the search for his family go?" Leah asked, hopefully. She marked her place in her book and set it down.

Tony sighed, heavily and squeezed in on the chase lounge with her. His fingers lazily reached out and ran over her stomach. He smiled as he felt how round her belly was getting. "Detectives in Topeka said that a mother reported her baby missing when she went to pick him up from the sitter. They never tracked the sitter down and it appears suspicion turned towards the mother. The police thought the baby was dead."

Leah leaned her head against his shoulder. "So, how did you trace Eric to Topeka?"

He took a deep breath. "His birth records indicate that he was born in Topeka and when Abby ran his photograph, it partially matched a digitally enhanced photograph that was made to show age progression of the missing baby."

She rubbed her belly, thinking of her baby growing inside. She couldn't imagine having her baby taken from her and never knowing where the baby had ended up. "Did the detective point you in the direction of the parents?"

"Nope. The case was handed over to their Cold Case department and he has no idea where the parents are now," Tony spat, frustrated. "Thirty-six hours and the social worker is going to show up and take Eric…"

"You've had your back against the wall before," Leah reminded him. "You can figure it out, Tony."

"What if I don't?"

"What do you mean _what if you don't?_ Of course you're going to figure it out!"

Tony wished he had the same level of confidence in himself that she had. Sighing, he glanced at his watch. "I guess it's time for the little munchkins to get to bed."

Leah nodded and smiled. "Which one do you want tonight? Tali is probably going to make you read at least three stories…"

He laughed. "That's fine. You've been taking care of all three of them all day."

She kissed him, softly. "All part of being a mom."

"And you are an amazing mom."

'I couldn't do it alone, I have the help of an amazing daddy."

"Speaking of that; it's time for me to help you get the kids to bed," Tony said, getting to his feet, "this daddy has three stories to read to a special little girl."

* * *

Eric watched as Leah turned the covers down on the bed in their guest room where he was going to sleep for the night. He proudly wore his new Super Man pajamas that Tony had bought for him. After brushing his teeth with his very own toothbrush, the little boy was eagerly waiting to climb into the biggest bed he'd ever seen.

Leah had put Jack to bed—the boy protesting that he wanted a big boy bed like his sister. Eric had heard the young mother inform her son that Grandpa Gibbs was making him his own bed. He didn't know who Grandpa Gibbs was, but Jack seemed excited by that news.

Tony had put Tali to bed, reading to her until she fell asleep. Eric had liked listening to how Tony read, his inflections and the silly voices he made. No one had ever read a story to him before, unless he was at school but thanks to being shipped around so much, Eric did not have a lot of school experiences. He did know, however, that not many children called their fathers _aba_ like Tali did.

"Why does Tali call Tony _aba?_ " Eric questioned, watching Leah get his bed ready.

"Tali's mother was from Israel," Leah answered, smoothing the covers down. " _Aba_ is Hebrew for father."

"You're not her mom?" the little boy inquired. "She calls you _mama_."

She smiled at him, his observant nature reminding her of her husband. "I'm her stepmother."

He had heard the word before and sort of knew what it meant. "Where's her mom?"

Leah hesitated in answering. They didn't speak about what happened to Ziva with their own kids, feeling that both Tali and Jack were still too young to understand, but Eric had been thrown to the wolves of the system—he had probably seen children with stories very much like Tali's. "Her mother died in a fire."

Eric nodded, his brown eyes sad for a moment. "Does she know that her mom is dead?"

"She knows that her mom isn't present; but she's still too young to understand."

"Do you think she'll remember her mom? I don't remember mine."

"No, she probably won't remember much."

"Is Tony going to find my parents?"

Leah paused for a moment. "How did you know he was looking for them?"

Eric tucked his chin against his chest. "I heard him tell you about the missing baby from Kansas and that he thinks I'm that missing baby."

She pat the bed and invited him to come lay down. He crawled up into the bed, nestling between the sheets, and Leah tucked him in. "If you are that baby, Tony is going to make sure that you go home to your parents."

He nodded and bit down on his lower lip. "Are they looking for me?"

"I'm sure they are," Leah assured him.

"So… my parents did want me? They didn't leave me with my aunt?"

"No, they didn't leave you with your aunt."

Eric wiped the back of his hand across his face. "Why would someone take me away from parents?"

Leah ran her fingers through his hair. She didn't have the answer to that question. She could not understand how someone could snatch a child away from their loving home…

Tony's soft voice answered from the doorway, "Some people do bad things, Eric." He stepped into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's my job to make sure they don't do it again."

His brown eyes grew heavy as sleep approached. "What happens if my parents don't want me?"

It was a scenario that Tony had thought about; he gently pushed the little boy's hair out of his eyes. "Don't worry, Eric—I'm going to make sure you're taken care of."

After hearing that, Eric fell sound asleep.

* * *

Gibbs came across Tony at his desk early the next morning. The senior field agent had a thermos of coffee and a few muffins that Gibbs knew came from Leah. Tony's wife wouldn't send him off to work this early without coffee and something to eat.

Tony glanced up when he sensed Gibbs' arrival. "Finally spoke to Cold Case—the said that Eric's parents moved out of Kansas three years ago. At least that detective was willing to work with me—she was going to track them down. She was going to send the forensic report to Abby. We might be able to match DNA taken from the Barnes house to Eric's."

"It would determine if Eric _is_ the Barnes' baby," Gibbs said.

"Leah was going to bring him by later," Tony informed him. "She has a class to teach."

"Eric joining her?" the team leader questioned.

"No, Amelia agreed to watch him," Tony said with a chuckle. "Although, I think Eric would love to spend time with Leah by himself."

Gibbs laughed, quietly. Leah was a natural mom; when Tali had joined the family last summer it was actually Leah that the little girl bonded with first. Now, no one would know because Tali loved spending time with her father. "It's good for him to see that there are good people in the world."

Tony remembered being a small child, wondering if there were good people in the world. He had learned through the housekeepers that looked out for him, Coach Tanner for seeing something in him at RMA, and from Gibbs seeing something in him as a cop that there were good people in the world. He knew, though, that there were many children in Eric's situation that did not see the good in people. "I've been thinking about what to do if the Barnes' do not turn out to be his parents…"

"And?"

"I have some ideas."

"Remember, you have a baby coming… are you and Leah sure you can handle _four_ kids?"

"Oh, well, I have no doubt that my wife can handle four kids—but now, I wasn't thinking of us taking him."

Gibbs didn't doubt that Tony had a plan. He was just curious where that plan was going to take them. It was obvious that Tony had already decided that if Eric didn't have a family to return too, the little boy was going to become a part of theirs.


	6. Chapter 6

**Warnings:** None for this chapter

 **A/N:** Hope you enjoy this next chapter :)

* * *

Thick layers of cigarette smoke filled the ridiculously small apartment and caused Tony's lungs to burn. Ellie seemed just as displeased with the smell as he was.

After tracking down Eric's "aunt" Barbara, Tony was hoping that more pieces were going to fall into place. Now, as he sat across the woman at her old kitchen table, the NCIS agent began to wonder if this woman had a single memory cell left in her body thanks to the amount of cigarettes and booze she took in. Her abuse of the substances was well documented in butts all over the table and empty Pabst Blue Ribbon cans.

She didn't seem surprised about Eric running away. According to her the little boy was more trouble than he was worth and she had never checked in on him once social services had removed him from her apartment.

"How did he come to be in your care?" Tony asked, coughing as smoke was blown in his face.

"My sister; moved in with me some time after he was born," Barbara said. "She split after a month."

"Where did your sister move from?" Ellie asked.

"Why is that important?" the older woman countered, taking a drag on her cigarette.

Ellie scrunched her nose up in disgust at the smell and the smoke in her face. "We're investigating a kidnapping case. It is very important."

Barbara's penciled on black eyebrows shot up. "Kidnapping? I knew that baby wasn't Marcy's. She lived in Kansas when she moved here with the baby. We grew up in the Topeka area."

Tony licked his lips. "Do you know where Marcy is now?"

"Marcy? She died a year ago—cancer. Sorry, Agent DiNozzo. She won't be able to help you."

"Okay, do you have a photograph of your sister?"

Barbara stood up, her hips popping as she walked to a hutch and opened a drawer. She pulled a photograph from the stack of papers and pictures and handed it to Tony. "My sister wasn't the most stable person. I'm not surprised that she might have plucked that baby from someone else. She had a history of stealing things she wanted."

Tony glanced at the photograph, hoping that it matched the sketch that the Cold Case detectives had sent over of the possible sitter that had snatched Eric. "I'm guessing your sister never told you who the baby's father was or showed you a birth certificate."

"None of us knew she was pregnant. She was kind of the black sheep of the family."

"Anything else you can tell us?"

"Nope. Sorry."

 _Not as sorry as I am,_ Tony thought as he thanked her, told her that he and Ellie would see themselves out. Once they were outside the smoke filled apartment, both agents took deep breaths of the cold, crisp air. He glanced around the decrepit neighborhood, fully understanding why Eric was so fascinated by the cleanliness of the DiNozzos' home.

Ellie sighed, heavily as she opened the passenger door on the Charger. "That was a waste of time and I'm going to be smelling cigarette smoke for months."

Tony chuckled and got into the Charger, slamming his door shut. "It wasn't an entire waste. We did learn that Eric's so-called mother was from Kansas. Maybe she was the elusive baby-sitter that the Topeka police department could find no record of."

"DNA will determine if Eric is the Barnes baby—but it's looking promising," Ellie said. "Maybe it was the best thing he did, moving into your shed. Another family would have handed him over to social services."

"And no one in the neighborhood would have heard about it," Tony quipped. While Tony and Leah loved the neighborhood they lived in with its historic homes, many of the families were prominent and one didn't always know what was going on behind closed doors of those homes. "Appearances have to be kept up, you know."

"So we have about twenty-four hours until the social worker comes to pick up Eric," Ellie said, softly. "What are you going to tell her?"

"I need another forty-eight hours," Tony answered, honestly as he started the car up. "I promised Eric that he wasn't going back to that group home or into foster care."

Ellie frowned, slightly. "You cannot possibly think that you and Leah can foster him…"

Tony shook his head. "I absolutely know that we cannot."

"So… what's your plan?"

"At this point—finding Eric's parents. That's the plan."

"And if you can't…"

"Don't worry—I have a plan B."

Ellie nodded. "What's Plan B?"

Tony grinned and shook his head. "I'd tell you, but that might bring some bad karma to the case." _And, someone doesn't know that they're Plan B yet._

* * *

"Don't worry, this isn't going to hurt," Abby said, smiling at Eric as she held a cotton swab out in front of him. "I'm going to run this over the inside of her mouth and that's it. Promise."

"Okay," Eric said with a nod of his head. He glanced, anxiously at Leah, who gave him a reassuring smile. "Can you show how some of this stuff works after?"

"Abby has a lot of work to do, Eric," Leah told him, gently, "we don't want to take up too much of her time."

Smiling, broadly, Abby finished with the cheek swab. "I don't mind, Leah. It will give me some practice for when Jack is down here in a few years wanting to know how everything works. You know, when Tony first started here—I showed him how my babies worked."

Eric's brow furrowed in confusion. "Babies? I thought they were machines."

Abby chuckled. "They are but they all performed very important jobs that help me put bad guys in jail—so I treat them with care."

"Like you would a baby?"

"Yes, like you would a baby."

"I haven't seen too many babies."

"Maybe you could with Leah to her doctor's appointment."

Eric looked over at Leah, puzzled. "Why? Are there babies at your doctor's office?"

Leah laughed, her hand resting on her belly. "The doctor has a machine that allows me to see the baby, even though the baby is still inside my tummy."

"Can we go there after Abby shows me how her machines work?" the little boy inquired.

"We'll see; we need to go pick up Tali and Jack at school," Leah answered, smiling softly.

Abby took Eric by the hand and led him around her lab, showing him how her machines worked and what they were used for. He was particularly interested in how she was going to compare his DNA to that of the missing baby in Kansas.

Leah hung back, watching. She was glad that Eric was getting some undivided attention for a change. He had never been paid attention too, which was one of the reasons the little boy had slipped away from his group home and managed to live in their shed for a couple of days.

While she was standing there, she became aware that someone was standing next to her. Turning slightly, Leah saw Gibbs. "Tony might have found the sitter," the team leader whispered to her.

"That's good, right?" Leah asked.

"Yes, except she's dead," Gibbs replied. "We have a photograph from her sister to compare to the sketch."

"Has Topeka gotten back to him about the parents?"

"Nothing yet. I have McGee looking into it."

Leah watched as a happy smile spread across Eric's face as Abby entertained him. It warmed her heart and broke it all at once. "Why would anyone take a baby from their parents loving arms?"

Gibbs reached down and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. It was a question he asked over and over again throughout his career—after Kelly died—he just didn't have an answer. When Eric joined them, he smiled down at the little boy and held his hand out. "I don't think we've met yet—I'm Gibbs."

Eric's brown eyes shifted towards Leah and then back to the team leader. "Grandpa Gibbs?"

"Yeah," Gibbs said, chuckling.

"You made Tali's bed," Eric said, beaming. "And you're making one for Jack."

"He's observant."

"He is. Remind you of anyone?"

Gibbs laughed and reached out to ruffle Eric's hair. Yeah, the little boy definitely reminded him of Tony. It was too bad that Tony didn't have someone with such a big heart looking out for him when he had been Eric's age. Tony had been abandoned as a child—Eric was not about to suffer the same fate.

* * *

Tony sat at his desk, staring at the sketch Anne Barnes had done with the Topeka police and the photograph that Barbara had given him earlier that day of her sister. They were the same woman. One mystery solved.

It was getting more and more apparent that Eric was indeed the Barnes' baby. Now, if they could only track his parents down…

As he shifted in his seat, his eyes caught sight of the three slot photo frame on his desk, standing slightly in front of a frame with Leah's photograph in it. This particular frame housed a photograph of Tali, standing in the kitchen, grinning at the camera while she helped Leah make cookies, Jack proudly showing off his fireman costume, and the latest ultrasound of Baby DiNozzo. Tony couldn't fathom what it was like to have a child taken from him, he didn't want to think about it—he loved his kids with his heart and soul.

"Eric is the sweetest, cutest little boy!" Abby exclaimed entering the bullpen. "Did you find his parents?"

"No, not yet," Tony sighed, rubbing his temple. "But we did find the sitter."

"So, he's the Barnes' baby?"

"Looks that way."

Abby smiled. "Good. I love happy endings!"

Tony laughed, quietly and glanced at the pictures on his desk. He loved happy endings as well. "Everyone loves a happy ending, Abs."

"Yeah," Tim said from his desk, hoarsely. "But not everyone gets it."

"McGee? What's wrong?" Abby asked, seeing the sad look in Tim's eyes.

Tim looked at Tony and with a heavy sigh, answered, "I found the Barnes."

* * *

Leah buckled Jack into his seat. "Should we get pizza for dinner?" she asked the three kids in the back of her SUV. Immediately cheers went up, enthusiastically approving her choice. She laughed and closed the door and went to into the car.

She had just pulled away from the kids' daycare when the Bluetooth alerted her that Tony was calling. She hit the touch screen on her console to answer and smiled. "Hi honey, we were just on our way to pick up pizza for dinner."

Tony cleared his throat, knowing that he was on speaker phone in her car. " _Can you swing by NCIS?"_

"Why? Are you not coming home for dinner again?" Leah asked.

" _I'd rather not say with the kids listening in,"_ Tony told her, truthfully.

Leah glanced in her rearview mirror. Tali and Jack weren't paying attention, but Eric was—and judging from the look on his face, he knew it was about him. "Sure, we can come by NCIS. How long do you think you'll be? I can bring the pizza there."

Tony sighed. " _This won't take long, bella. I just need you to bring Eric by. After, you can take Tali and Jack home; I can take care of Eric."_

Something was wrong. Leah didn't need to see his face to know. She had been married to him for three years, they had been through a lot together… "Is everything okay, Tony?"

" _Please, Leah. Just bring Eric by."_

He hung up, leaving her wondering what was going on. Leah found a parking lot to turn around in and head towards the Navy Yard.

Eric nervously spoke up from the back, "Did I do something wrong?"

Leah shook her head. "No, honey. I'm sure this has something to do with your test this afternoon."

"Do you think they found my parents? Maybe they're waiting for me at the Navy Yard!" the little boy exclaimed.

"I guess we'll find out when we get there," Leah replied, smiling for him to keep up appearances. Deep down, she didn't have a good feeling.


	7. Chapter 7

**Warnings:** None for this chapter

 **A/N:** Here is the next chapter, I hope you like it!

* * *

Eric had bolted the moment he had been told that his parents were dead by his social worker and that she was there to help NCIS find a placement for him. He didn't want to go back to the group home and he knew from past experiences that a foster family was not going to work out.

Instead of sending Tony or Leah after the little boy, Gibbs went searching for him. He chuckled when he found the child hiding underneath a table in Abby's lab—the lab was a favorite hiding spot for Tony as well. Squeezing underneath the table with Eric, Gibbs smiled. "Nice hiding spot."

"Not that nice if you found me," Eric mumbled, burying his face in his knees.

"Maybe you wanted to be found," Gibbs countered.

The little boy raised his head and looked at the team leader, fear and sadness in his eyes. "I don't want to go back to the group home; Tony and Leah promised me I wouldn't be going back there."

Gibbs reached out and gently rubbed the child's back. "You're not going back to the group home. Tony called your social worker because some things have changed and she needed to be brought in."

Eric tried hard not to cry but even with his efforts a few tears escaped. "They don't want me, do they? Miss Miller is only called in when someone doesn't want me. No one ever wants me."

"Tony and Leah would take you in a heartbeat, Eric," Gibbs said, "it's just that…circumstances…"

"I know. I heard them talking about the new baby," Eric said, wiping his eyes.

The NCIS agent didn't tell the little boy that if a loving home could not be found for him, that Tony and Leah _would_ adopt him. Gibbs had been told by Leah's father that she had a thing for baby birds that needed to be loved and nurtured. Instead, he told the child that they were working on finding him a safe place. "We want to make sure you go somewhere that you are wanted, Eric."

Eric still was having trouble trusting Gibbs' words. He had been promised loving homes before only to be given back or ignored at a group home. "What about my parents?" he asked, quietly. "Were they looking for me?"

Gibbs gently stroked the back of Eric's head. "Yes. They looked for you until the day they died. They never gave up hope that you were alive and out there."

"Did they die because they were looking for me?"

"No, it was a car accident."

"Gibbs, what's going to happen to me?"

"Well, that's why Miss Miller is here, so we can all work together to find a safe place for you," Gibbs replied.

"Can I stay here? At NCIS?" Eric asked, hopefully.

Gibbs chuckled. "NCIS isn't a home; it's an office building."

Eric set his little jaw. "But it has some of the nicest people. I won't bother anyone working, I promise!"

As he looked at the little boy, brown eyes filled with innocence and longing to be loved by someone, Gibbs got an idea. Eric wouldn't be able to stay at NCIS but he would be able to stay in the NCIS family.

* * *

"Did Gibbs find him?" Leah asked when Tony joined her and the kids in the staff lounge.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, he's not getting off the Navy Yard," Tony said, sitting down at the table.

Tali offered her father a bite of her cheese pizza, which he graciously accepted before he opened the box and grabbed himself a slice. As he ate he watched as Jack slept, snuggled up in Leah's arms. There had been at length discussions between Tony and Leah about what would happen to their kids if something were to happen to them—they'd come to an agreement that the kids would go live with her older brother, Gareth and his wife since they lived in the D.C area. It would the least uprooting for their children.

Tony had yet to find if Alan and Carla Barnes had made such provisions for the son. Seeing how baby Eric had been abducted when he was only three months old there was a chance that the Barnes had never gotten around to ensuring their son's well-being. So far, Tim had not found any other family. Alan and Carla had died in a car accident along with her parents; Alan was an only child of a single mother that had passed away years before he got married. They were still looking for Carla's brother in the hopes that he would take Eric in.

Leah sighed and hugged her son. Finding out that Eric's parents were dead had been a big blow to them all, not just the little boy. "I hope Gibbs can convince him that everyone here just wants to help him."

"It's not easy for him; he has trust issues," Tony replied, finishing his pizza.

"Hmmm sounds like someone else I know," Leah quipped, looking at him, gently.

"And look how long it takes me to trust people."

"You know that's why you're a good agent; you suspect everyone."

Tony smiled and stood up. He kissed the top of Tali's head and then Jack's, who remained sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms. "I know you want to stay to make sure that Eric's taken care of, but you really should get our munchkins home, bella."

Leah sighed and looked at Tali. The little girl was starting to get tired. It was getting late for the two young children to be out and about but the mother inside of her just wanted to stay a bit longer to ensure that Eric was alright.

"We'll go home soon. Why don't you take the rest of the pizza to the team?"

He knew that he wasn't going to convince her to leave just yet; she could be just as stubborn as he could be. Tony grabbed the pizza box and kissed her. "Not too late," he reminded her, with a teasing smile.

She glared at him playfully. "Go, Anthony."

"Yes ma'am."

"What have I told you about calling me that?"

Tony chuckled on his way back to the bullpen. Ellie was at her desk and was very appreciative of a slice of pizza, even if it was a cold slice.

Tim was at his own desk, head resting on his arms as he took a break from searching relentlessly for Eric's uncle. He barely lifted his head when Tony gave him the box and told him to eat.

"Where's Gibbs?" the senior field agent asked. "Still looking for Eric?"

"Yeah," Tim said, rubbing his eyes. "Hope he's having better luck than I am finding Eric's uncle."

"We traced him to New Jersey," Ellie said. "After that I think he moved overseas; we just don't know where yet."

"Special Agent DiNozzo," Heather Miller said, reminding the agents that she was still there, "It's getting late; if I'm going to find a placement for Eric tonight, I need to take him soon."

Tony shook his head. "He isn't going back to any group home or foster care."

Heather looked at him, sadly. "I appreciate that you and your wife want to make sure he's okay, but you're not a permanent solution. I'd rather take Eric before he gets too attached to you or your wife."

 _Too late,_ Tony thought, thinking about how Eric had been clinging to Leah when his wife had arrived at NCIS. "Hopefully, tomorrow, we find Eric's uncle and we won't have to have this conversation, for now, my wife and I are more than happy to take care of him."

"Agent DiNozzo…"

"Listen, you said yourself it's getting late…"

Heather realized she wasn't going to win this battle, and she was tired herself. "Very well. I'll be back tomorrow; if there isn't a development in the case, I will be placing Eric into a foster home."

Tony watched as she went, pulling out his phone to call Gibbs and let the team leader know that Eric was coming home with the senior field agent that night. "Did you find him, boss?"

Gibbs laughed, softly. " _Yeah. He was hiding in your favorite spot—the lab."_

"Well, where are you now?"

" _Took the little guy for burgers."_

"You can tell him that he can come home with Leah and I," Tony informed Gibbs."

" _Actually,"_ Gibbs said. " _I have a better idea—he's gonna spend the night with me."_

* * *

Eric climbed the stairs at Gibbs' house, following behind the NCIS agent. The house was smaller, the furnishing sparse compared to Tony and Leah's home, but Eric didn't feel unwelcome here. In fact, he felt the exact opposite; it felt like Gibbs' house was happy to have him.

Gibbs led him down the small hallway and into a small bedroom. It had a single twin bed, a dresser and a rocking chair in the corner. It was nothing like the large bedroom that he'd slept in at the DiNozzos' but he liked the coziness of this room.

"Know it's not much compared to what you had at Tony's," Gibbs said, turning the covers down. "But I think you'll like it."

"I like your house, Gibbs," Eric said, climbing into the bed. "It suits you."

The NCIS agent laughed and pulled the covers around the little boy. "I thought you might like it here," Gibbs said, pushing the boy's blonde hair out of his eyes.

Eric's eyes became heavy and he clutched the edge of the blanket in his little hands. "Are Tony and Leah mad at me for running away?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No. They were worried about you; they really do want to make sure you're okay, Eric."

"I wish they were my mom and dad," Eric murmured as he fell asleep.

"I wish they were your parents too," Gibbs whispered. At least then, Eric wouldn't be so alone in the world.


	8. Chapter 8

**Warnings:** None for this chapter

 **A/N:** Next chapter everyone :)

 **Cathy Brown-** _I have seen it spelled both "aba" and "abba" in other stories. Seems like no one can come to a consensus on how it is spelled using the English alphabet. If anyone else has any knowledge on how it should be spelled, please feel free to shoot me a PM :)_

 **Rozeboom-** _I agree that Gibbs would make a great dad, but I think he's happier being a federal agent and a grandpa to the teams' kids._

* * *

In the morning it felt like a brand new world. Snow had fallen overnight and sparkled in the bright sunlight.

Tony came downstairs to find Leah at the kitchen table, her laptop in front of her and his wife deep in thought. Smiling, Tony went to get himself a cup of coffee and went to join her. "What are you working on?" he asked, softly so he didn't startle her. She was known for shutting the world out at times when she was working.

Leah glanced up at him. She had a nervous glint in her blue eyes. "Working on the floor plan for the renovation. I'm meeting with the contractor today to finalize everything."

"Are you looking for ways to have a larger closet?" Tony teased.

"No, I've been thinking about getting rid of the living area in the new master and closing that off to make a bedroom," Leah said.

He looked at her incredulously, knowing _exactly_ what she was doing. "Leah…"

She glared at him. "Tony."

Tony knew he had to tread carefully or he'd be sleeping on the sofa. "We don't need another bedroom upstairs on the third floor."

Leah glanced away, avoiding making eye contact with him. "I just think it would be more practical if we had another bedroom and not a living area."

"Sweetheart, we cannot take in another baby bird," Tony said, gently.

"Yes, we can!" Leah exclaimed. "I reconfigured three different floor plans to accommodate us and four children!"

"Did you reconfigure our financial situation as well?"

"Anthony, money is not an issue for us."

Tony closed his eyes. It was true that money was not a problem for them, however, children were expensive, and could they handle having four kids, six years old and under? When he opened his eyes, he was not surprised to see her looking at him the way Jack looked at him when he wanted a cookie. "Leah, I hate it that there doesn't appear to be anyone in this world that cares for Eric or that even wants him… but _we're_ not the best option for him—not with two small children and a baby on the way."

Leah let her tears fly at this point, the pregnancy hormones taking full control of her emotions. "We're better than that group home or a foster family that only wants him to get the money! He would be happy here and loved and safe. That's all he's asking for, Tony!"

He reached over and pulled her closer, kissing the side of her head. Tony felt his heart breaking, not just for Eric but for his wife as well. She would take in all the children in need if she could…

"Mama," Tali's voice interrupted them followed by her small footsteps on the wooden floor. "I want apple."

"Okay," Leah said, pulling away from Tony and wiping at her eyes. "I'll cut one up for you."

Tali's eyes followed her stepmother and then darted towards her father. "Mama sad?"

Tony stood up, scooping his daughter into his arms. He kissed her cheek. "A little; don't worry, Tali, lots of hugs and kisses will help Mama feel better today."

Leah sniffled while she peeled and sliced an apple for Tali. Her eyes traveled towards her laptop, still open on the new floor plans she had worked on. She wasn't sure hugs and kisses were going to help her feel better—Eric being adopted would help her feel better.

Little arms suddenly wrapped around her legs. She glanced down to see Tali hugging her. "Oh Mama, don't cry," the little girl said.

Hearing her stepdaughter try to comfort her, a child that not so long ago was in need of a home, Leah felt another attack of tears and just couldn't help herself. She finished cutting up the apple and put the slices in a bowl for Tali. Giving it to the little girl, who brightly smiled at her, her heart ached even more for Eric.

"Hey," Tony said, taking her by the arm and pulling her into his. "Everything will be fine."

"Will it?" Leah whimpered.

"Yes, trust me."

"O-okay, I trust you."

Tony kissed her and let go of her. He rubbed her belly, affectionately. "Alright, love, I have to get to work. You know, today would be a great day to do something fun with the kids."

Leah nodded and used a napkin to wipe her eyes. "I don't have any classes or appointments scheduled for today after the contractor stops by. Maybe… maybe that's a good idea, take the kids somewhere."

He grabbed his coat and his gear. Tony kissed her one more time and stepped out into the cold. Fleetingly he glanced in the direction of the back yard, where his shed was, stomach twisting and turning as he thought about Eric living in that cold place because he felt he was better at taking care of himself than a group home.

As he got into his car and drove away, Tony prayed that today they found Eric a loving home at last.

* * *

Eric held Gibbs' hand on the ride up the elevator to the squad room floor. After a breakfast of pancakes and sausage, the team leader was taking him back to NCIS to see if there was an update on finding his uncle.

He wondered what his uncle was like. Was he young? Did he have a dog? Was he married? There were so many questions that the little boy wanted answered. Perhaps today the NCIS agents would track his uncle down and Eric would get to meet and talk to him.

Tony and Tim were already seated at their desks when Gibbs arrived with Eric. Both men smiled, warmly, at him and greeted him with a _good morning._

"Any new developments?" Gibbs asked.

"Abby finished all the equipment tests; turns out the accident at Quantico was indeed equipment malfunction," Tim reported, automatically.

"McGee, not the case he was asking about," Tony pointed out.

Tim blinked and then looked at Eric. "Oh. Well, good news—I spoke to your uncle last night, Eric. He lives in Spain, but he promised me he'd get on the next flight out to Washington to come see you."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "Spain?"

Tony nodded. "He works for a software development company."

"Where is Spain?" Eric asked.

"Europe."

Eric looked between the three men, confused. Europe? Where was that? Certainly not in the United States.

Tony typed something on his computer and then a map of the world appeared on the plasma screen. He stood up and pointed to where Spain was on the map. He had wondered how much school Eric had. It appeared not much.

Gibbs pat Eric on the head and told him he could sit at his desk. Tony and Tim shot glances at one another; no one sat at Gibbs desk… well, maybe Tobias Fornell…

"DiNozzo."

"Yeah boss?"

"My office."

Tony followed the team leader towards the elevator, climbed inside and waited until Gibbs had stopped it. "Is there something wrong, Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked at him, pensively. "Your wife called me."

"Damn it, Leah," Tony cursed with a shake of his head. "Gibbs… we cannot take on the responsibility of another child!"

"I told her that—as gently as possible," Gibbs replied. "She's upset. She wants to make sure that Eric is taken care of. Maybe you should call her and tell her we found his uncle."

"You know, I thought her first pregnancy was going to kill me," Tony quipped. "The late night snack runs, the morning sickness, the mood swings… the second one is turning out worse."

Gibbs smiled at him, wearily. "She means well."

Tony sighed. "I know, boss. Trust me, if I thought we could take on the responsibility of raising Eric, I'd adopt him… we just… we can't."

"Let's find someone who can then. If Eric's uncle cannot take custody of him, let's find him a home."

"I've got a few ideas, boss."

"Good. So do I. Why don't you tell me yours and see if we're on the same page?"

Tony shuffled his feet. "Well, I've been thinking… Jimmy and Breena… they've been looking to adopt a second child…"

Gibbs smiled. "Just what I was thinking…"

"Really?"

"Yup. It gives Eric a good home and keeps him in the family; something I'm sure Leah will appreciate."

"Leah could very well be on the phone with her family trying to find Eric a home," Tony stated.

"Hopefully, with all of us working together," Gibbs said, softly, "Eric has a home by the end of the day."

* * *

Breena Palmer knew immediately that something was bothering Leah. Usually when they took the kids to the aquarium or even the mall, Leah was much more engaged with them. Today, while they window shopped in Georgetown, bundled up against the cold, Leah was almost mute.

At first Breena wondered if her pregnancy was making her feel ill that day, but the more she just pushed the stroller along, not speaking to Tali or Jack, Breena began to wonder what was really bothering her.

She recalled Jimmy telling her about the child Tony had found in their shed and how the team was helping locate his family. Was Leah's melancholy mood related to that little boy? As a mother, Breena could understand why Leah was bothered by what her husband had discovered but the little boy was now in good hands if the team was taking care of him. "Leah? Maybe we should stop for lunch soon."

Leah nodded her head and gripped the stroller. Her hands were numb, starting to turn red. She had left her gloves at home by accident. "I think there's a bistro up ahead."

"Come on, Leah, talk to me. What's going on?" Breena asked, concerned.

"Stress. Work, home—the baby," Leah replied.

Breena didn't buy that for a second. She steered Leah into the bistro and found a back table for them. Sitting down across from her friend, she gazed at her, sternly. "I know you pretty well. We've become good friends over the years. Something is wrong."

Leah took a deep breath and looked into the stroller at her kids. Tali was busy flipping through a board book, but Jack met her gaze, grinning at her. "I keep thinking about that boy we found in the shed and what's going to happen to him. Tony has already said we cannot adopt him—I think that's rather selfish of him. What if there are no other options for Eric? What if we're that little boy's last hope of a forever home? A loving home?"

"In a few months you're going to have three little kids to look after. Are you sure you really want to take on a six year old?" Breena asked her, calmly.

"No, I'm not sure, but I'm sure that I do not want Eric to be shipped back to foster care where no one was looking after him," Leah replied, her voice squeaking as she tried not to cry.

"Maybe he doesn't have to go back to foster care."

"What do you mean?"

Breena pulled out her cell phone, called up Jimmy's number, and said, "Let me make a phone call. I think I can find a solution that everyone will agree on."


	9. Chapter 9

**Warnings:** Plot twist ahead...

 **A/N:** Here's is the next chapter! Reviews are always welcome :)

* * *

Drew Barnes was young, late twenties, with dark brown hair and crystal blue eyes. He was tall, he towered over both Tony and Tim but despite his broad, athletic build and his impeccable good looks—Drew was gentle natured.

Tony reached his hand across the conference room table and shook Drew's. "Thank you for coming. I know that it's a long flight from Spain."

"Are you the agent that found my nephew?" Drew asked.

"Yes. He was using my shed as a shelter," Tony replied, solemnly.

Drew rubbed a large hand over his face. "Carla and Alan always believed Eric was alive, even after the Topeka police turned their suspicions on her when they couldn't locate the baby-sitter. I remember the day they tore up their back yard, looking for Eric's body—Carla was devastated. They left Topeka shortly after that. I can't help but wonder if they had stayed, if the police had treated them better, if they'd still be alive."

Tony took a deep breath. "The baby-sitter that took Eric fled here, to D.C. She moved in with her sister and left Eric there after a month. Her sister was far from a model citizen and social services removed him from the home when he was two—he's been shipped around from foster home to foster home since."

"Was it ever brought up _why_ the sitter took Eric?" Drew asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"From what I gathered, she wanted a baby and did whatever she could to get one," Tony replied.

"So, it didn't matter how many lives she ruined?"

"No. It didn't."

Drew sighed and dropped his elbows to the table, holding his head in his hands. "As relieved as I am to find out that Eric is alive after all these years—Agent DiNozzo, I live in Spain, in a one-bedroom flat. I work insane hours…"

Tony nodded in understanding. "Mr. Barnes, I get it—a child is a lot of work—trust me, I have two and a third one on the way. NCIS is willing to help social services find a good home for your nephew if you feel you cannot take on the responsibility."

"Would I still be able to see Eric? Be in his life?"

"I don't see why not. The family we have lined up to take him in are very open to the idea."

"You have a family that wants to adopt him?"

"Friends have been looking to adopt a second child for a while now."

Drew's broad shoulders eased. "Will I be able to meet them, Agent DiNozzo? Is that possible?"

Tony nodded. "Yes. It can be arranged."

"And Eric? When will I be able to see him?"

"Right now he's out with the potential adoptive parents; we can arrange a meeting later."

There was a knock on the door. Tony watched as it opened and Ellie stuck her head in. Her brown eyes were wide, frightened almost, and he knew something was wrong.

Ellie's eyes darted towards Drew seated at the table with his back to her, mulling over the news he had been told and probably unaware that she had entered the room. "You need to go," she told Tony, swiftly.

Tony was confused. "Go? Go where?"

She nervously wrung her hands together. "Leah just called me. She said she couldn't reach you."

He flew to his feet. His wife would not have called his partner unless there was an emergency. "Ellie, what happened?"

"It's Jack, Tony," the young woman answered, her eyes getting moist, "he's been rushed to the ER."

* * *

Her absolute worst nightmare had come to fruition that afternoon after returning from lunch with Breena and Victoria.

Leah had put the kids down for a nap, even though Jack was protesting the whole time that he wanted to go outside and play in the snow. She had then gone into her office to get to work on correcting a stack of research papers…

Tali had been the one to wake her up, gasping that Jack was blue. Leah was certain she meant that Jack had gotten into the play room and the markers… not that the child had made it out into the snow with nothing but his tee shirt and jeans on…

She had been cradling her blue baby when the EMT's arrived. They quickly scooped Jack up, Tony's Ohio State blanket and all, and rushed him to the awaiting ambulance. Somehow, Leah and Tali had squeezed into the front seat, the little girl hugging her stepmother tightly and softly crying as they flew through the streets of Arlington, the sirens wailing loudly. Somewhere during all that chaos Leah had been able to get in touch with Ellie when Tony was unreachable.

Even though Ellie promised everything was going to be fine; the best doctors would be working on Jack, Leah felt at fault. _If I had not fallen asleep…_

At the hospital her son was taken away and Leah was pushed back by an assertive nurse. They would take care of her son…

"Mrs. DiNozzo?" a soft voice said above the din of the emergency room waiting area.

"Yes?" Leah answered, looking up to see a middle aged woman dressed in a rather unflattering business suit.

"Paulette Keye," she introduced herself. "I'm with Virginia Family Services."

Leah clutched Tali, the little girl was snuggled underneath her chin, sucking her thumb. A social worker? Who had called a social worker in? She kept as much composure as she could. "Can I… can I help you?"

Paulette gestured towards the empty seat next to her. Leah nodded it was okay for her to sit. The social worker did, adjusting her glasses over her slender nose. "Arlington EMT's reported that your son was found in the back yard, with nothing but a tee shirt and jeans on. It's very cold today, Mrs. DiNozzo…"

She felt tears burning her eyes. Was this woman accusing her of neglect? "Yes, I know it's cold today. He was napping in his bedroom which can get very warm."

"Napping? How did he end up in the back yard?"

"He's been known to climb out of his crib."

"Your doors leading outside are not locked?"

"We… we went out for lunch… I must have… forgotten to lock the doors."

Paulette's brown eyes were judging her. Leah wanted to shrink away. "You weren't aware that he was up?"

Leah blinked rapidly, thinking of Tali's face as she told her that Jack was blue. "I…I fell asleep."

The social worker pursed her lips and nodded her head. Paulette looked at Tali, curled up in Leah's lap. "You understand that an investigation has to be opened, Mrs. DiNozzo, now that an inquiry has been filed. We'll have to set up a home visit and I would suggest that your children are placed in a temporary home until that visit is conducted and we can determine if your home is safe for them."

The younger woman shook her head furiously and hugged the little girl in her lap tighter. "No! If you have to conduct an investigation, fine. I have nothing to hide! But you are not taking my kids away from me!"

"Leah?" Tony questioned, appearing in front of her, looking a bit dazed. "What… what is going on?"

"She wants to take them away!" Leah cried getting to her feet and lunging towards her husband. "It was an accident, Tony! I swear to God! I was correcting papers and I dozed off and Jack got outside… I didn't hear him get out!"

Tony watched as she collapsed against him in a fitful of sobs. He gently put his arms around her and Tali and hugged them. His green eyes shifted towards the spindly social worker. He knew that an investigation was going to be in store, if the EMTs and doctors felt that there was neglect transpiring, but taking Tali and Jack out of the home was rash decision. "My wife would never intentionally put our son in danger," he said, sternly.

Paulette stood and pulled on her blazer. "Mr. DiNozzo, your son was found outside by your two-year-old daughter, in less than adequate clothing for the winter weather, while your wife slept. You might not think there is cause for concern, but there is."

Leah whimpered against his shoulder. She felt Tony stiffen, his posture changing.

"I know how the system works. You're not taking my kids."

"Mr. DiNozzo…"

"It's _Agent_ DiNozzo."

Clearly the social worker was surprised to find out that he worked in law enforcement. Still, she was under pressure by her superiors not to take anything lightly—too many kids had fallen through the cracks, some had ended up dead eventually because they didn't work fast enough. Paulette pushed her glasses back. "Agent DiNozzo, if everything checks out, then your kids will not be gone more than a few days."

Tony clenched his jaw. "You're talking about ripping away a two-year-old and sixteen month old from their home, from their parents and putting them with strangers. Tell me how that's acceptable for them? There's no history of my wife or I neglecting or abusing our kids—you have no grounds to swoop in here and try to make an example out of us."

Paulette sputtered that she was just trying to do her job, realizing that the couples' protests had garnered the judgmental eyes of several others in the waiting room directed at her. It appeared that Tony was going to put up a fight…

"Mrs. DiNozzo?" a voice said over the commotion of the ER.

"Yes?" Leah responded, pushing away from her husband and handing Tali to him. "Is he okay? Is my baby alright?"

Tucking the clipboard in his hand underneath his arm, the doctor stepped towards them. "Your son is responding well to treatment. He still isn't awake yet, but we're getting his temperature back up. I'd like to keep him overnight in the ICU to monitor him but I expect him to make a full recovery."

Tony sighed in relief. At least Jack was going to be alright. Now, there was the problem of an impending social services investigation. He suddenly related to Alan and Carla Barnes, being investigated for the death of their baby when in reality their baby had been stolen… "How long do you think he was outside, doctor?"

The doctor shook his head. "Hour, hour and a half tops. It's extremely cold today so it doesn't take long for hypothermia to set in, and since Jackson is small; he isn't the first child to sneak out into the cold to play in the snow and end up here in the emergency room, let's put it to you that way."

"Can I see my baby, Doctor?" Leah asked in a small voice.

"I don't see why not," the doctor said.

"Doctor Green, Virgina Family Services is investigating this; we would like no contact between the children and their parents."

"Paulette, that seems a _bit_ extreme. I know you're under pressure from the State, but there were no other signs that Jackson is being abused and neglected."

Her eyes shifted towards the couple. Tony glared, his jaw tight, as if he was telling her to spend her time on the kids that really needed her help. Paulette sighed and relented. "Very well, doctor. I will not remove Tali and Jack from the home; but I will be stopping by for a home visit."

Tony reached for his wife's hand, silently accepted that the social worker was not going to go away easily, but at least she wasn't taking his kids. He asked the doctor if the family would be allowed to see Jack. The doctor agreed, and giving his wife's hand a squeeze, he promised her that they were going to get through this minor crisis.

* * *

Gibbs was not surprised when his phone rang and Virgina Social Services flashed across the screen. In his haste to get to the hospital and his family Tony had probably not called Heather Miller and let her know that they had located Eric's uncle and found a family willing to adopt him.

Taking his glasses off, Gibbs answered the phone. He listened patiently as the social worker introduced herself, it wasn't Heather Miller, but the lead agent didn't think any of that—until the woman revealed why she was calling. "What?" he snapped. "You're conducting an investigation on Leah DiNozzo? Why?"

His raised voice stirred Tim and Ellie from their paper work. Both agents peered at each other, shock evident on their faces. Gibbs was more outraged than shocked. "Those kids are well taken care of. Yes, I'm aware that Jack wandered out into the cold… no, she would never intentionally put her son at risk. If she says she forgot to lock the backdoor, she forgot to lock the backdoor."

Gibbs ire on continued to grow as the social worker apparently bombarded him with more questions. "I understand that this is routine… I just think you're wasting your time, Ms. Keye," he said before telling her one more time that Tali and Jack were in good hands, and then he said good-bye, hanging up and slamming the receiver down.

"Boss?" Tim ventured to ask, anxiously.

"Apparently EMTs opened an inquiry with social services," Gibbs answered.

"What? Jack's a curious, stubborn toddler—he found a way outside," Tim said. "It wasn't like Leah threw him out there or wasn't paying attention to him."

"She fell asleep in her office correcting."

"Oh… but still! Obviously it was an accident!"

Gibbs got to his feet and grabbed his coat. He instructed Tim and Ellie to get in touch with Eric's social worker, inform her that they had a plan for the boy, and he could be found in Arlington—with Tony and Leah. It appeared they needed everyone in their corner at the moment.

* * *

 _Promise, we'll check back in with Eric next chapter. And Tony and Leah's case DOES have something to do with the story, you'll see..._


	10. Chapter 10

**Warnings:** None for this chapter.

 **A/N:** Here is another update! Reviews are always welcome :)

* * *

At the hospital Gibbs flashed his badge and asked where he could find Jack's room. The nurse easily gave him the floor and number. He shoved his credentials back into his pocket and stormed into the elevator, wondering if the social worker knew how hard Tony and Leah had worked finding Eric Barnes a safe place to live—people who abused or neglected their kids didn't take in a complete stranger.

When he arrived on the floor, his eyes were immediately drawn to the tall, unusually thin middle aged woman in a stark business suit. On the lapel of her blazer was an identification badge— _Paulette Keye, Virginia Department of Child and Family Services._

Gibbs scowled. Of course the social worker was going to lurk outside Jack's hotel room. Didn't she have other cases? Weren't there other kids out there that were in much more dangerous living conditions than Tali and Jack? He knew she was just doing her job, once the EMTs had reported the incidence and Arlington Police had been alerted…

As he walked closer to Jack's room, Leah, her sister Norah, and Tali emerged. Leah was helping Tali into her coat, putting a knit pink cap on over her curls. Tali looked anxiously between the two women. It was obvious that the little girl was aware that something was going on.

"This is ridiculous," Norah snapped loud enough for the social worker to hear.

"It was either this or strangers," Leah said. She smiled down at Tali. "You're going to sleep over with Auntie Norah, okay?"

Tali balked at the idea. It wasn't that she didn't like Norah or going over for a sleepover, she had witnessed her brother being poked and prodded by EMTs, a social worker arguing with her parents, and now her aunt showing up to take her away. It was overwhelming for the child. "No, Mama!"

Leah tried to assure Tali that she was going to have fun. Norah would paint her nails and watch movies with her, they'd have chicken nuggets for dinner—but the promise of her favorite things did not appease the child.

She stood in the middle of the hall, wailing. Her wails sent Tony into the hall to comfort her. His green eyes casting daggers at the social worker.

Gibbs came to the conclusion that this apparently had been the compromise to placing Tali in a foster home for the night, having her spend the night with Norah.

"Abba, I don't want to go!" Tali screamed, stomping her little feet.

"Tali-wog, it's only for a night," Tony said, smiling at her and wiping her tears.

"Agent DiNozzo," Keye said, with a heavy sigh, "it's getting late."

Tony hugged and kissed his crying daughter, promising her that she wasn't going to be away from home long. Norah picked her up, and carried her, sobbing towards the elevator, the social worker following behind them.

Gibbs waited until they were gone and then cleared his throat. Tony and Leah looked up, startled to see him there. The two of them had been so upset by Tali being taken away in tears that neither one of them had noticed his arrival. "How's Jack?"

Leah swallowed the lump in her throat. "Fine. Sleeping. He's not blue anymore; there's some pink in his cheeks.

"His temperature has steadily rose," Tony supplied. "Doctors think he'll be awake and ready to go by morning."

"Those are good signs then," Gibbs said with a nod. "What about the social worker?"

"She was going to put Tali in a foster home for the evening. I convinced her to let Norah take her," Leah said. "She's going with them to make sure Norah's place is _adequate._ "

Tony reached out and rubbed her back. In a few days this hopefully was behind them. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, Keye was going to dissect their lives and probably be making more than one visit…

Leah wiped the tears from her eyes and stepped away from her husband. She looked at Gibbs. "Is Eric okay?"

 _Yeah, neglectful mother,_ Gibbs thought angrily recalling his conversation with Paulette Keye. "Eric is in great spirits. He spent the day with Jimmy, met his uncle…"

Leah looked relieved to hear that. Her blue eyes brightened a bit. "Was his uncle happy to see him?"

Gibbs nodded and offered her a soft smile. "Yes. I was at the meeting myself. It went well."

"Is Eric going to go live in Spain with him?"

"No, his uncle doesn't think he can take on the responsibility of being a single dad."

"Did his uncle approve of Jimmy and Breena adopting Eric?"

"He did."

Gibbs watched her very carefully. It was clear that she was stressed and he worried about the unborn baby. Her doctor would probably tell her to stay off her feet for a few days.

Tony appeared just as concerned about her, his green eyes following her every movement and occasionally flickering towards her small, round belly.

Leah found a nearby chair and flopped into it. "I couldn't' sleep last night thinking about what was going to happen to him, and the moment I got some downtime, some quiet, I fell asleep. That social worker thinks I'm a horrible mother and I was sleeping because I was exhausted thinking up ways for Eric to be safe."

"You are not a horrible mother, Leah. Jack inherited his tendency to get in trouble from his father…"

"Hey!"

"DiNozzo. Let me finish."

Tony scowled and leaned against the wall. "Fine."

Gibbs turned to Leah and took her hand. "As I was saying—Jack inherited his tendency to get in trouble from his father; if he was determined to go outside and play in the snow, he was going to go outside and play in the snow."

Leah glanced sheepishly at her husband and a faint smile crossed her features. "Tony does have the tendency to attract trouble…"

"Once everything settles down and the social worker wraps up her investigation, things will be back to normal," Gibbs promised her. "She's going to see that you and Tony are good parents, who love their kids."

"You need to go home and rest, Leah," Tony murmured. They'd had this argument twenty minutes ago and now seemed like a good time to bring the subject back up. "I'll stay with Jack. Tali is being taken care of by Norah—you need to take care of the baby."

Leah glared at her husband and shook her head. "I'm staying. We discussed this. Jack needs his mother."

Tony returned the glare. "Jack probably will sleep until morning and he'll be just as happy to wake up to me."

"Anthony, I'm not going."

"Leah, you're pregnant and need to rest. This stress will affect the baby."

Her hands went to her round stomach and her shoulders shagged in defeat. "How am I going to get home? I took the ambulance here."

He helped her to her feet and gave her his trench coat. She had left the house with nothing for herself but her cell phone. "I called Delilah. She's coming by to pick you up and you're going to stay with her and Tim for the evening. I didn't want you to be alone in that big house."

She nodded, grateful that she wouldn't have to spend the night at home without him or the children. "You'll call me if anything changes, right?"

Tony kissed her cheek. "Of course I will, sweetheart."

Leah fought her tears. She didn't want to leave Jack but she had another baby to think about. "He'll be okay without me?"

"Jack will be fine without you," Tony assured her. "I'm here, Gibbs is here, the doctors and nurses are here… tomorrow when you come back he'll be up and smiling at you."

"Make sure he eats something for breakfast," Leah urged Tony. "He hasn't eaten since lunch and he'll be starving!"

Tony directed her towards the elevator, promising her that Jack would get breakfast. At the elevator doors he kissed her, assured her one more time that they were going to get through this and placed her in the elevator.

Leah's anxious blue eyes quickly disappeared behind the doors. She hated leaving her son but at the same time, to take care of her unborn child, she had too. Her husband was right though—Jack would be up and smiling in the morning. Maybe in the morning she would be smiling again too.

* * *

Eric was blissfully unaware of what was happening other than the fact he had a place to call home—forever.

After having dinner with his Uncle Drew he had been informed by his only living blood relative that he was not going to Spain, rather Eric was going to be adopted. Uncle Drew said that he would write to Eric and visit and even bring him to summer in Spain, but Washington was the best place for the little boy.

He had his own bedroom in his new house. Breena had promised to take him shopping to pick out furnishing for his bedroom and Jimmy was going to take him to the toy store. For the first time in a while he fell asleep with a big grin on his face.

In the morning Breena had laid some clothes out for him. Eric quickly changed and dashed downstairs.

"No running in the house," Breena reminded him, gently. "You'll slip and crack your head open."

"Sorry," Eric mumbled, tucking his chin to his chest.

Breena smiled at him, sweetly. "Eric, it's okay. This is a new home for you and you need to learn the rules. I'm not mad, okay?"

Eric glanced up into her kind eyes; not being scolded, yelled at, or ignored completely was new to the little boy and he was still trying to get used to it. "Most adults got mad at me or just ignored me when I broke the rules."

"Yelling isn't my style," Breena said, grinning.

"Good morning," Jimmy chirped, carrying Victoria into the kitchen dressed in his scrubs. "Did you sleep well, Eric?"

"Yes sir," Eric said. "I like my new room."

"You're going to love it even more once we get you some new things," Jimmy responded, putting Victoria into her booster seat. He gave his daughter a kiss and turned to give one to Breena. "Tony called; Jack's going to be released from the hospital later today."

Breena sighed in relief and then shook her head. "How did he even manage to get outside? Those wood doors are heavy, some of them even for me."

Jimmy smiled as he poured himself some coffee. "He used a foot stool that Leah has to reach into the upper cabinets. Pushed it over to the door and managed to get out. Clever boy."

She rolled her eyes and handed Eric his breakfast of honey-nut cheerios. "Clever and a magnet for trouble—just like his daddy."

He chuckled while Eric asked, "Is Jack sick?"

"Oh, no honey," Breena assured. "Jack is fine. He just… he played out in the snow too long."

"Don't worry," Jimmy added, "Jack will be back home in no time."

Eric noticed that Jimmy and Breena changed the subject, quickly. He finished his breakfast and went off to play in an adjacent playroom with Victoria. With the children gone, the parents started to talk about what happened with Jack again, thinking that Eric wasn't listening, but the little boy had become really good over the years of hearing things he was not supposed to hear…

Breena mentioned an investigation, someone was going to be stopping by their house to interview them about Leah. Eric was puzzled. Why would anyone want to investigate Leah for… what was the word Breena had used— _neglect—_ that was it. Why would anyone be investigating Leah for neglect?

He didn't know what that meant but Eric knew Leah did not do that. Eric knew that he _had_ to speak to the investigator. He had to tell them that Leah and Tony were a great mom and dad, and any kid would be lucky to have them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Warnings:** Slight spoilers for my stories "So I Will Run Through Fire" and "Slowly Fading Away"

 **A/N:** Here is the next chapter. Feedback is always appreciated :) Just a friendly reminder that if you're going to flame me, especially on a "guest" account, I am going to delete the post or report it. This is a no hate zone, period.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Delilah asked, when she noticed Leah enter the kitchen the following morning.

"Like the world is falling apart at the seams," Leah answered, honestly.

Delilah poured her some coffee and pat the chair next to her at the dining room table. "Come have some coffee and scones, and you'll feel better."

Leah had cut back on her coffee intake since she had found out she was pregnant but this morning she found that she needed it. "Sorry baby," she mumbled to her belly as she sat down and fixed her coffee. She took a freshly baked scone from the McGee's favorite bakery and took a bite.

"I wouldn't worry about this investigation. They'll ask questions, interview all of us, and visit your house and see that Tali and Jack are well taken care of," Delilah said, smiling at her gently.

"I know everything is going to be okay, there's just this… small chance that my kids could be taken away," Leah replied, her resolve slowly fading.

Delilah shook her head. "There is no way _that_ is going to happen."

Leah finished her scone and sipped her coffee. "What if they think Tony's job is too dangerous?"

"What are you talking about?"

"What if she finds out about Tommy Merchant or Wayne Cooper?"

"Then she'd find out how Tony tricked Merchant and arrested him, how you shot Cooper to protect Jack," Delilah argued.

"And what if she tells us that those incidents could have been prevented by Tony resigning?" Leah asked.

Delilah softly glared at her. "Leah, enough. Tali and Jack are not going to be taken away from you, and in five months you'll be welcoming a new baby into the world."

Leah touched her stomach and grabbed another scone. At least her appetite had come back. Last night she had barely touched the dinner that Delilah had prepared. The more she thought about the social worker calling everyone that knew her under the sun, the more she ate. It somewhat relieved the stress of thinking about her mother finding out what she'd done. "Hopefully that social worker won't be there in the delivery room, ready to snatch my newborn from me."

Pouring herself some more coffee, Delilah stirred some cream and sugar in. "Let's talk about something happier regarding the baby. Do you have names picked out?"

"We can't agree on anything. I hate the ones Tony suggests, he hates the ones I suggest."

"Maybe it's something that you can't sit with a baby name book and go through all those names."

"He really thinks it's girl."

"You don't know yet?"

"Baby wasn't cooperating at my last appointment."

Delilah sighed and sipped her coffee. She had been to numerous appointments in the last few weeks to weigh her options for having her own baby. Her disability made pregnancy even more high risk than it normally would be. She did not want it to stop her and Tim from having a family someday…

Leah finished her last scone and her coffee. She offered to clean up, being one of the only people that never found it awkward to navigate the kitchen in the McGee's home which was in the process of being redesigned to make it even more accessible for Delilah. In a few short weeks Leah would be living in a reno-zone as well…

"So… what do you want to do today?" Delilah asked, casually.

"Tony requested that you baby-sit me, huh?" Leah guessed.

"He wants you to relax and maybe have a little time to yourself."

"I should go to the Palmers and check on Eric."

"Leah, I'm sure he's fine. You should focus on yourself."

"Delilah," Leah argued, "my son is still in the hospital after I put him there; I really do not want to focus on myself. I just want to make sure Eric is alright and then go see Jack."

"Do you honestly believe you put Jack in the hospital?" Delialh asked. "Did you put him outside in the cold yourself?"

Leah shook her head. "No, but if I had been paying attention then he wouldn't have snuck outside in the first place."

Delilah sighed. "I told you to stop blaming yourself. Now, why don't you go shower, get ready, and then we can plan a spa day. I'm sure by the time you're done getting ready, Tony will have called with the good news that Jack is coming home."

* * *

Tony wasn't surprised that Paulette Keye was waiting for him that morning. Once he had spoken to the doctor about Jack's condition, the social worker had requested to speak to him.

She led him down the hall and found a small lounge. She offered him coffee but he didn't want any. He just wanted to get this over with so Jack and Tali could go home with them.

"It looks like Jack is getting better," Paulette opened with a smile.

"He's been up since five," Tony answered. "He wants to go home, Ms. Keye."

"My investigation just started, Agent DiNozzo."

"I think we can both agree on that my kids need stability."

Paulette fixed her wire rim glasses. "Yes, of course they do. So it is in my best interest to wrap this up quickly for them so there isn't too much disruption."

Tony flexed his fingers underneath the table. "So then it's in your best interest to send my kids home, today. I know what you want to do, you want to make an example out of my wife. That even pretty, well-off, suburban women can be abusive—you've picked the wrong woman to prove that point."

She opened her file and glanced down at it. "There were no obvious signs of physical abuse on either your daughter or your son, which is good news, the State will probably not rule that the children are in imminent danger and need to be removed from the home."

He felt his jaw tighten. This had to have been how Eric's parents felt when the police turned their suspicions on them. "Of course there were no signs of physical abuse, my wife and I don't hit our kids."

"Both of them attend daycare regularly," she stated, eyes glancing at him.

"Yes. My wife and I both work," he answered.

"Do you think your wife's long hours some days at the University contribute to her exhaustion?"

"What kind of question is that? She works extremely hard, so yeah, I would think it would."

"And what about the hours you put in? Do you think your job adds to her stress level?"

Now that question stung. Tony knew that his job added to Leah's stress level. She was constantly worried about his safety. "Yes, my job adds to her stress. She doesn't know if I'm going to come home at night; that kind of uncertainty would make anyone crazy."

Paulette sighed. She knew she wasn't going to convince Tony that she was not the enemy here. "Leah adopted your daughter; where is Tali's biological mother?"

Tony felt a stab at his heart. "She died in a fire last spring."

"Does Tali have any family on her mother's side?"

"No. It was just her and her mother."

"Besides Miss Dawson, is there anyone else that can take the children until my investigation is over?"

"Why? Can't they just come home with us?"

Paulette shook her head. "I'd really prefer that they stayed elsewhere until this is all settled."

Tony sighed. Sure there were others that could take Tali and Jack—Gibbs, Tim, Abby—but he knew none of them were going to be good enough for Leah. His wife just wanted her children home with her. "They've stayed with my boss, Agent Gibbs, a few times. They're comfortable there."

She nodded. "Will Agent Gibbs be alright taking them for a couple of days?"

He sighed, "Yes. I'm sure it will not be a problem."

"I'm going to go fill out the paperwork, thank you, Agent DiNozzo, for speaking to me."

"Are we going to be allowed to at least _see_ our kids?"

"Normally, I would say now, but since Doctor Green found no signs of physical abuse on the children… yes, you and your wife will be able to visit with your kids as long as Agent Gibbs is present."

 _Supervised visits, how lovely,_ Tony thought angrily, and he was going to have the joy of informing Leah that the state of Virginia didn't think they were competent enough to spend time alone with their children.

* * *

Tim was surprised to see Tony step off the elevator. "Did they release Jack from the hospital?"

Tony threw his bag near his desk. "They did; but not to me. Gibbs has him. The social worker will not let Tali and Jack come home until she has conducted her home visit."

"When is that going to be?" Ellie inquired.

"In the morning. Ms. Keye wanted to chat with a few more of our family and friends first," Tony sighed.

His team watched as he dropped down into his chair and buried his face in his hands. At least the social worker had agreed to let them see their kids; Gibbs was going to keep them for the night and offered to cook dinner for the family. Tony had accepted just wanting this crazy ordeal to be over. He was still struggling to wrap his brain around the fact that his wife was being investigated. Leah was the most loving person he knew.

She, of course, had been devastated when he called her to let her know that Jack and Tali would be staying with Gibbs. After calming her down, and insisting that she spend the day at the spa with Delilah, Tony had come into work. There was something the doctor had said the day before that was nagging at him— _I know you're under pressure from the state…_

Tony started his computer up. His gut was telling him that there was more to Paulette Keye that met the eye. He was pouring over cases and files when his desk phone rang, "Yeah, DiNozzo," he answered, expecting it to be an in-house call.

" _Oh thank God you're there,"_ Breena's voice said, " _I tried to get in touch with Jimmy but you know him… sometimes he forgets to take his phone off silent…"_

"Breena, is something wrong?" Tony questioned, wondering why she had called him to get in touch with her husband.

" _Yes, something is wrong,"_ the young woman breathed with some panic in her voice, " _Eric is gone."_


	12. Chapter 12

**Warnings:** None for this chapter.

 **A/N:** Here is the next chapter. Enjoy! Thank you all for your feedback, it has been fun writing this for you guys and chatting with you on PM.

 **Adela-** _Thanks for reading! I'm happy that you are loving the story :)_

* * *

Heather Miller arrived to work late that morning and being late always flustered her. She had been called to an apartment late the evening before by the police and removed a baby from one of the filthiest homes she had ever seen. Besides the obvious signs of abuse, Heather knew there was more going on just underneath the surface that she was not looking forward to uncovering.

She was so exhausted that she did not notice the little blond boy, his coat unevenly buttoned, shoes on the wrong feet, sitting at her desk. Until she went to put her bag down and saw him there. "Eric?"

Eric lifted his brown eyes. "Why are you investigating Leah? Why? She is not... whatever neglect means!"

"What are you talking about, Eric?" Heather asked, confused. Leah and Tony DiNozzo were life savers for her, they had helped her find a good, loving home for a little boy that desperately needed it.

"I heard Jimmy and Breena talking; they said a social worker was investigating Leah for neglect!" Eric gasped, his eyes filled with tears.

Heather still wasn't sure what the little boy was talking about, but she was sure that _someone_ was going to be missing him soon. "Eric, how did you get here?"

Eric looked proud of himself. "I snuck on the bus and rode it to the nearest bus stop from here."

She sighed and dug around in her bag for her phone. "Eric, you cannot just leave when you want. Breena and Jimmy are going to be worried about you. I think it's sweet that you want to stand up for Leah…"

He became angry, an emotion that Eric very rarely showed. "They want to take Jack and Tali away from them! Why take kids from a nice place? Why put them in scary group homes and with families that don't care about them?"

Heather was gazing at him in shock when her phone rang. She quietly answered, her eyes never leaving Eric, afraid that if she did look away he'd be gone again. "Hello?"

" _Eric ran away from the Palmers,"_ Tony reported to her. " _Any idea where he might have gone?"_

"Yes, I know where he went," Heather said, "Eric's here, with me."

" _He is?"_

"Apparently, Agent DiNozzo, he wanted to make sure _I_ didn't take your kids away from Leah."

Tony was silent for a moment. " _How did he know about that?"_

Heather was surprised that Eric was speaking the truth—Leah was under investigation. "He told me he heard the Palmers talking. Do you want me to bring him back to NCIS?"

" _Please,"_ the federal agent said, " _I'm glad we located him before my wife found out he was missing."_

"You can tell Mr. and Mrs. Palmer that Eric and I had a chat about running away," Heather said. "We'll be leaving here soon."

Eric watched as she hung up the phone. "Are they mad at me?"

Heather shook her head. "No. They're worried about you."

"I'm sorry," the little boy said, hanging his head. "But I didn't want you to take Jack and Tali away."

"I appreciate your apology, Eric," the social worker replied, fishing out her keys. "But I'm not the one investigating Leah."

"You're not?"

"Believe it or not there are a lot more social workers in this city besides me."

"Well then take me to the one that's making Leah sad!"

Heather gently took him by the arm. "First, we're going to NCIS."

Eric looked deflated but walked with Heather outside to her car and quietly got in. "I'll get to tell the other social worker that Tony and Leah are nice parents, right?"

She started the car up and told him she would see what she could do—but she made no promises.

* * *

Tali's demeanor was startling to Gibbs. He figured that once she stopped crying after Norah dropped her off, she'd be fine. The normally happy, bubbly little girl was shockingly silent. It was clear to Gibbs that she was missing her parents.

Gibbs was almost inclined to call the social worker and have her come and observe the child, but then he feared she would just take the kids away and place them in another home because she would be concerned that it was _Gibbs_ making Tali withdrawn.

Jack was having no problems with a sleepover at Grandpa Gibbs' house. He had been very excited to get in the car to come here. Tony had been reluctant to leave, hugging the kids a bit longer than he normally would before being shooed out of the house by Gibbs. If the lead agent was going to be watching the kids all day, then he needed his second in command at NCIS. It was hard to believe that they still had an accident investigation to wrap up…

"Gampa," Jack said, catching Gibbs attention. "Look!"

He turned to see that the boy had climbed up onto the kitchen counters. Gibbs wasn't going to begin to think how the kid did it or how fast he did it—but he could see how Jack had found his way outside. Scooping the toddler off the counter, he set Jack down onto the floors. "We don't climb the kitchen counters, Jack," the former marine scolded him, gently.

Jack frowned and looked at him with his big blue eyes. "Mama climb them."

Gibbs could see how _this_ was going to go. "Mama is a grown-up. It's okay for her to climb them."

"Mama come see me?" Jack questioned, those eyes still looking at Gibbs.

"Daddy and Mama are coming by for dinner," Gibbs told him.

Tali perked up a little at that. She stopped coloring her picture in big orange swirls and looked up. She didn't say anything, however—she had been shot down so many times in the last twenty-four hours when she asked about going home that Gibbs didn't blame her for not speaking. Instead, she put her orange crayon down and picked up a purple one.

Gibbs sighed, heavily, and set Jack up to play with his Duplo blocks out in the living room. The boy would be entertained for a while and the NCIS agent could sit and relax for a few minutes.

He was getting too old for this kid stuff. _Come to think of it, I'm getting too old for this agent stuff too._ However, he wasn't quite ready to let go of his job just yet. The team was still feeling everything out after Luke Harris had shot Gibbs, after Tony had spiraled into depression and was only pulled back out by a decade old case… Gibbs wanted to make sure his team was looked after when he left.

If he was truly honest with himself, he was afraid of letting that part of his life go. Tony was a good agent, and he would be able to take that team and continue its good work…

"Hello?"

"Mama!"

Gibbs watched as both Tali and Jack dashed towards their mother, as she gathered them close and kissed them, silently crying both tears of joy and sadness. "You're a little early for dinner."

Leah hugged the two kids and shrugged her shoulders. "It was either come by early or be subjected to more _me_ time with Delilah. I needed to check on my kids."

Tali snuggled against Leah's shoulder. "I go home with you, Mama?"

"No, sweetie, not tonight," Leah said, kissing the top of her head. "You're going to stay with Grandpa."

"No, I go home," Tali argued.

Leah didn't argue back. She kissed and hugged Tali, and then did the same to Jack. She wanted to take the children home right then and there; the fact that she was forbidden to even be alone with her children made her sick to her stomach.

Tali stayed snuggled close to Leah, while Jack went back to find more trouble he could get himself into. It was going to another difficult separation for her later that night when her parents left her at another family member's house for the evening.

* * *

Tony, Breena, and Jimmy listened to Eric's frantic pleas to speak to Paulette Keye. He didn't want Jack and Tali to be taken away from home, and it was clear the love the little boy had for the two people that had saved him. The NCIS agent was rather touched that little Eric wanted to help Leah, but he wasn't sure how much help the little boy was going to be in the grand scheme of things.

He had left Tim in charge of finding something on Keye, something to suggest why she was coming after his wife with a vengeance. It wasn't until Breena had left the conference room with Eric to take him home that Tim showed up with some information.

"You are never going to believe this," Tim said. "Paulette Keye was a social worker in Kansas."

"Kansas?" Tony questioned. "Tell me there's a connection to the Barnes…"

"There is. Keye was assigned to investigate a Marcy Winchester in Wichita."

"Marcy, the baby-sitter."

"Yes. Neighbors reported her a month after Eric disappeared. They heard the baby crying all the time."

Tony frowned. "Did they think the baby was the missing baby from Topeka?"

Tim nodded. "Some of them did."

Jimmy looked between the two men. "So… why wasn't Eric found before Marcy came here to Washington?"

"According to the report I found, Paulette had to push her home visit back for an emergency placement," Tim said, "When she showed up the next day—Marcy and the baby were gone. Paulette came to Washington a year later; she has a website dedicated to finding _Baby Barnes._ "

"She became obsessed with finding that baby," Tony guessed. "Did that impact her work here, with the Virginia Depart of Child and Family Services?"

"It might have. Most of her cases are with boys Eric's age. Recently she was put on probation because she did not remove two boys from a home that were later drowned in the bath tub by their mother," Tim said. "It looks like she was using the office to find Eric."

Tony rubbed his chin, thoughtfully for a moment. "So she's going after Leah to keep her job, that way she can keep searching for Eric."

Tim nodded. "It appears that way."

Jimmy and Tim were nearly knocked over as Tony jumped from his chair and exited the conference room. It was time to turn the tables a little on Ms. Keye.


	13. Chapter 13

**Warnings:** None for this chapter.

 **A/N:** This is a long chapter so I'll get right to it! Enjoy!

* * *

It was snowing again.

When Tony pulled up to Gibbs' house he could see Jack peering outside at the snowflakes dancing around in the gray sky. He could picture his boss, sitting nearby, keeping a watchful eye on the toddler to make sure he didn't venture outside into the snow again without the proper attire.

Parking his car, Tony shut it down and then stepped out into the flurry of flakes. Paulette Keye had been out on another call when he stopped by her office. He was just going to have to hit her with the information that he had learned that day in the morning, when she came to the house to do her inspection.

He entered the house, brushing snow from his shoulders and was immediately charged by his son. Jack hugged his father's legs tightly but Tony was startled that Tali had not come running; usually he was peeling both kids off of him when he got home.

"She's in the kitchen with Leah," Gibbs said, knowing exactly what Tony was thinking.

"Leah's here? She's supposed to be with Delilah," Tony said, with a soft sigh.

Gibbs chuckled. "It was driving her crazy being away from the kids. She's allowed to see them as long as I'm here; I wasn't going to say _no._ "

Tony picked Jack up off the floor and gave his son a kiss on the cheek. He went and sat down in the chair across from Gibbs on the sofa, situating Jack on his lap. "I don't think she's going to have be supervised when she's with our kids much longer."

"Of course not," Gibbs said. "Home visit will happen; Tali and Jack will be home tomorrow night."

"If they're not, this will have gone on longer than it should have," Tony snapped. "My wife is being used."

"DiNozzo, don't go all gun-ho on the social worker," Gibbs warned him. "Play by her rules; otherwise you might be looking at an even longer ordeal."

"So I should just sit by and let them do this to us?" Tony questioned, his voice heavy with anger. "There are kids out there living in horrendous conditions…"

Little feet interrupted his rant and Tali appeared. "Abba!" she whimpered, climbing up into Tony's lap and curling up against him. "I go home with you?"

Tony's anger disappeared and his heart broke. He wrapped his free arm around his daughter and rubbed her back. He wanted to take her home, he wanted to get their lives back to normal, but his hands were tied. "Not tonight, baby. You're going to stay with Grandpa."

Tali softly cried, her wails muffled by Tony's shirt. Her cries brought Leah into the living room, tears in her own eyes. Tony's heart broke even more.

"Dinner should be ready soon," Leah announced, wiping her eyes. "I made macaroni and cheese."

"Mac and cheese, Tali!" Jack exclaimed. "Stop tears, it your favorite!"

His attempts to comfort his sister unfortunately did not help. Tali continued to cry and bury her face against her father. Jack frowned and looked at his parents, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong. He reached out and pat her back, telling her to stop crying.

Tony wished the social worker was here to see how upset his family was; Tali crying, Jack trying to comfort her, and Leah, turning away to hide her silent tears. These were not people that didn't love each other or care for each other—these were not children that were being mistreated. He just wanted to pick his kids up in his arms and march straight out of Gibbs' house and bring them home…

Gibbs rose off the sofa and plucked Tali out of Tony's lap. "Let's go down in the basement. I want to show you something."

Tali sniffled and nodded her head. Jack dashed off of his father's lap, following Gibbs and shouting, "Wait! Wait! Wait! I come! I come!"

Once they had disappeared downstairs Tony got off the easy chair and went to wrap his arms around Leah from behind. Gently his hand ran over her belly. "I promise tomorrow this is all going to be over."

"I'm scared, Tony," she whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm scared for us, for the kids…"

"She doesn't have a leg to stand on in this case."

"I just want our happy, smiling Tali back."

"We'll get her back. Soon this will be nothing but a bad memory for us. The kids will forget."

Leah slithered out of his grasp and went to check on their dinner. These last two days had made her feel like a horrible mother. Her son had nearly frozen to death, her stepdaughter was miserable because she was being shipped around between caretakers and just wanted to go home, and Leah herself was being put underneath the looking glass. "It won't be just a bad memory; there will be a file at CFS with my name on it. If I ever come under suspicion again… they will not hesitate to take our kids away."

Tony shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed. He could do nothing about the file, but he highly doubted she was going to come under suspicion again. "I know this has been hard on you, bella, but trust me, this is not going to happen again. We're not going to have our children taken away. Any judge would see that you're compassionate and attentive."

She took the macaroni and cheese out of the oven, gently placing it on the counter to cool. "Or they'd see me as an example; they're going to treat well off, suburban women the same as they do drug addicts."

He watched her, the defeated posture she was carrying herself in and he wondered if she had slept at all the night before. This investigation was not good for her health or that of the baby's. "You know, you used to be the positive thinker in this marriage."

"Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones making me negative."

"Or the lack of sleep."

"I slept last night."

"Yeah, but how well?"

Leah found some bowls in the cabinets and threw him half a glare. That alone told Tony that she was tired. "I was not in my own bed, my son was in the hospital and my daughter was very upset that she had to go spend the night with my sister. How do you think I slept?"

Tony moved towards her and kissed her forehead. She had troubling sleeping some nights when he worked straight through and didn't come home; he wouldn't be surprised if she had felt the same way last night at Tim and Delilah's house. "You'll sleep better tonight, at home."

She shrugged, not sure she quite believed him. "Can you go down stairs and tell everyone dinner is ready?"

He kissed her forehead one more time. "Yes, sweetheart, I can, but promise me, you'll relax a little."

As Tony stepped away from Leah and headed down the stairs to the basement, both of them knew that she could try her best to relax, but she was probably going to fail.

* * *

The following morning no one would have guessed how upset Leah had been the night before. Her hair was perfectly straightened, make up done just right, and she was dressed in gray slacks with a pink turtleneck. She had made a fresh pot of coffee and muffins.

Tony came down into the kitchen, dressed in his best suit and kissed her cheek. He had promised her again before they had gone to bed that everything was going to be alright. She had not argued with him, but they were both emotionally spent after leaving Tali, sobbing, and Jack trying to help her feel better, at Gibbs' house.

Leah put the muffins out on the kitchen island, along with the coffee in a fancy decanter. When she began to mess with the arrangement to make it "perfect", Tony took her by the shoulders and pulled her back.

"It looks great," he assured her.

"You don't think she'll see this as bribery do you?" she asked, anxiously.

"Unless you baked money into those muffins—no."

"I just want everything to go over smoothly."

Tony reached for her hand when the doorbell rang. Lacing his fingers through hers, they walked to the front door hand in hand. Leah was trembling slightly as her husband opened the door and greeted the social worker on the other side, coolly.

Paulette Keye's eyes flickered around the entryway of the house, obviously making mental notes. She stepped inside and Tony closed the door behind her. "You have a lovely home."

Leah smiled, weakly, and thanked her. She felt Tony's fingers tighten around hers briefly. "Would you like some coffee? I put some out in the kitchen."

"Coffee would be nice," Paulette said. "It will give us an opportunity to talk for a bit."

"We have a lot to talk about," Tony said with a tight grin.

Both women looked confused. He didn't offer up an explanation and led them down the hall and into the kitchen, pulling a bar stool out for his wife and then the social worker. Tony poured each of them a mug of coffee, still smiling tightly at the social worker.

Leah had seen that look before and it was slightly concerning to her because she had seen it when her husband had been in an interrogation room—not their kitchen.

Paulette fixed her coffee and then pulled a small notepad from her brief case. "I stopped by to see Tali and Jack before coming over here; both seemed content."

"Content. We'd much rather have them be _happy,_ " Tony snapped, earning a glare from his wife.

"Tali's having some trouble adjusting to staying at someone else's house," Leah offered.

"Understandable. She is only two and a half," Paulette replied.

"And she should be home, with her parents," Tony threw out there.

"Agent DiNozzo, I assure you that we both want the same thing here."

"Do we? From where I'm sitting it doesn't feel that way."

Paulette could see that Leah was getting more and more agitated by the second. "Protocal requires that I inspect the home and make sure that it is a safe place for Tali and Jack; by what I've seen so far, I can tell you that it appears it is."

Leah's blue eyes perked up. "So, you're going to let them come home?"

Tony could see the hesitation in the social worker's eyes. "Of course she is… on the condition that we pass the home inspection. Isn't that right, Ms. Keye?"

She sighed and glanced between the couple. "I know this has been hard but my main concern is the safety of the children."

He quirked an eyebrow, thinking about the McCleary children, whose teachers had brought up concerns about their mother neglecting them but Paulette's notes on those boys were scattered. Those boys had not been the little boy she was searching for. "We wouldn't want another repeat of the McCleary boys or the Barnes baby now would we?"

"You… you know about those cases?" Paulette stuttered.

"I do. I know that you were put on probation because of the McCleary boys. Our case is your first one since then," Tony said, huskily, "and you must have known that Leah and I were taking care of Eric Barnes. It was easily accessed information."

"Tony? What are you talking about?" Leah inquired, confused. He had not told her any of this.

"Ms. Keye used to work in Kansas," Tony replied. "Eric's kidnapper was reported to her office."

Leah felt her heart skip several beats. Was she being investigated because Paulette was trying to get closer to Eric? Yes, the Arlington Police had to file a report with CFS, but CFS could have wrapped their investigation up in a day. Paulette had seemed insistent on drawing it out…and now she knew why. "I don't understand; why didn't you just _ask_ us about Eric? Why did you put my babies through hell?"

Paulette's shoulders stiffened. "I wasn't sure this is where Eric had gone and making sure Tali and Jack were safe _is_ my job. Mrs. DiNozzo, this was not a personal attack on you or your husband."

Tony could see that Leah was getting angry. He reached underneath the island and placed his hand on her knee, gently squeezing it. "We want this to be wrapped up this morning; or I might have to call the State and inform them what is really going on here."

"Do you think I haven't been threatened before, Agent DiNozzo?"

"Do you _really_ want to risk your job?"

"Would it be possible if I could see the children's living spaces?" Paulette asked, ignoring Tony.

Leah brushed Tony's hand off of her knee and got to her feet. Clenching her fists, she could see that Paulette was not going to let go of her protocol and procedures. She did not like the fact that her family had been used so the social worker could find a child she had let slip through her fingers years ago. She kept picturing poor Tali, heartbroken that her parents were leaving her behind at Gibbs' last night. How many other children had been put through hell so Paulette could find Eric?

Tony hung back, watching as Leah showed Paulette the house, coolly addressing her when she was spoken too. He meant what he said—he would take his findings to the State, that Paulette had come to D.C to search for an abducted baby. The social worker had chosen the wrong family to come down hard on, the wrong family to tear apart. He was going to fight for his kids and if he had to fight dirty—so be it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Warnings:** None for this chapter.

 **A/N:** I have another chapter for you. Enjoy!

* * *

Eric sat in the front office of his new school, feet dangling over the edge of the chair as he waited to meet his new Principal. Breena was meeting with him first, and then Eric would be allowed to go in.

He had gone to school before but it had only been on occasion and he had never stayed at one school long enough to care. This was going to be different. He was going to have a classroom, classmates his age, carry a back-pack and ride the bus. He wouldn't be starting just yet, he heard the teacher that went into the meeting with his adoptive mother about testing his intelligence first.

His feet swung back and forth as he sat on the large chair, listening to the sounds of the school around him. He could hear kids in the gym laughing and playing a game, chatter as teachers and students walked the hallways, and the occasional ring of the telephone in the office. He was itching to get off the chair and go explore, but Breena and Jimmy had been very disappointed that he had ran away from home that morning. Eric had the best intentions at heart, they had said, but he did not have permission to run around the city on the bus—he was too young to do that by himself.

Breena came out of the office at that moment and smiled at him. "Ready?"

"Yes," he said, getting off the chair. "After, can we go see Leah?"

"Of course," she said, taking him by the hand. "We just have to pick up Victoria at my parents' house first."

Eric took a deep breath and followed her into the principal's office. If he could get through this meeting then he was going to be allowed to see Leah and tell her that he had done his best to let people know she was a great mom.

The meeting with the principal went easier and faster than Eric anticipated. He left the school, feeling confident that he was going to be welcomed. On the way to pick up Victoria, he chatted away about going to school.

Breena was happy to see him so excited for it. Her and Jimmy were nervous that Eric was going to be scared to go to school given that he had no experience prior to this.

"Mom, can I get my own backpack?" Eric asked, taking her off guard. He noticed how quiet she was and nervously blurted out, "Sorry! If you don't' want me calling you mom, I won't!"

"Eric, of course I want you to call me mom," Breena said, sighing happily. "Jimmy and I are going to be your parents once the adoption is finalized. We would love it if you called us mom and dad… we just wanted to make sure you were comfortable with it."

He felt better, instantly. Eric had never been allowed to call his foster parents _mom_ and _dad._ He supposed that it was different with Breena and Jimmy because they were going to be his parents—real parents, not a family that he had been dumped upon. Real parents like Tony and Leah, a real family like the one he had seen when he had been led away from the shed. "Mom? What do I call Tony and Leah?"

Breena smiled as she turned down the street where her parents lived. "Uncle Tony and Aunt Leah; that's what Victoria calls them."

Eric smiled. "Then I'm going to call them that too." He leaned back in his seat and watched the scenery go by. Just a few days ago he was a little boy that had no one in the world, now he had an entire family to take care of him.

* * *

Gibbs heard the car doors slam shut, followed by his front door opening. Glancing up from his morning paper while Tali and Jack played on the floor with their Tonka trucks and he watched as Paulette Keye, accompanied by Tony, stepped into his house. Gently he set his paper aside. "Is this a supervised visit?" he asked, coldly.

Paulette's shoulders stiffened. "No. I'm here to transfer custody of Jackson and Talia back to their parents; they will be going home with Agent DiNozzo as soon as the paperwork is filled out."

She plopped her briefcase onto the dining room table. "I was hoping to conduct a more thorough investigation but my supervisor, that Agent DiNozzo called and complained too, informed me that this was being dragged out for far too long. There is no sign of abuse or neglect; Tali and Jack are free to go as soon as you sign the appropriate forms, Agent Gibbs."

"About time," Gibbs grumbled, getting to his feet. "I hope this case didn't take time away from children on your caseload that truly needed it."

"I take all my cases seriously, Agent Gibbs," Paulette snapped. "Despite what you and your team believe, I did not make this personal. Yes, I have been trying to find Eric Barnes for six years, but that case did not interfere with my work as you all seem to suggest."

Tony pulled Tali and Jack's coats from the closet. "Pack up your toys," he told them. "Mama is waiting at home with lunch for us."

Jack gathered all his trucks in one, big armful and dropped them into the tote bag. He got off the floor and ran towards his father, wiggling into his winter coat. Tali didn't move at first. "We go home, Tali!" the little boy said with a big grin. "Mama waiting for us!"

Tali's green eyes flickered towards Tony. "Abba?"

"Your brother's right; you get to come home. No more staying with Grandpa for a while," Tony assured her.

"Mama?" Tali whimpered.

"At home, baby, she misses you."

Tali put her trucks into the tote bag and darted off the floor to her jacket. She put it on then hugged her father's legs tightly, burying her face into his jeans. Tony reached down and rubbed the back of her head, lovingly. He still believed if Paulette had cared about his kids then she wouldn't have ripped Tali away from Leah so soon after his daughter lost her biological mother…

Gibbs signed the papers with a little extra flourish and both agents stood there glaring at the social worker. She took the hint and gathered her stuff up. In a flash she was out the door, the men heard her car start up, and she was gone, driving off down the street to probably another case.

Tony put warm, knit hats on the kids' heads. "I hated that I had to play dirty like that, boss, but Leah… it wasn't good for her or the baby."

"You were protecting your family, Tony."

"Keye was doing her job."

"Maybe a little too harshly though."

"She's lucky Ziva wasn't here," Tony mused with a little smile. "There might have been some blood."

Gibbs chuckled, softly, and offered to help bring all the kids' things out to the car. Outside, Tony opened up the SUV and helped the two little ones into their seats while the team leader put the bags into the trunk.

Tony thanked Gibbs for helping them out in a pinch and got into the car. Glancing at the two kids in the mirror, he sighed, relieved, and started the car up. They were going home—all of them—together.

* * *

Leah heard the back door open, followed by the sound of little feet running along the hardwood floors, and little voices calling out for her. She came out of her office and into the kitchen to see her children finally home, finally back where they belonged and her emotional dam broke.

Jack and Tali ran at her, still wearing their winter coats, and threw their little arms around her. Leah fell to her knees on the floor, wrapping the children into her arms and hugging them tightly.

"Mama, it okay," Jack said, wiping at her tears. "No cry, Mama."

"I miss you, Mama," Tali said, "Don't be sad!"

Leah knew it was hard to explain to them that she wasn't crying because she was sad, she was crying because she was happy, relieved. "I missed you, too," she told them instead, peppering them with kisses.

Jack giggled and pulled back. He gave his mother's belly a sweet kiss. "Hello, baby. Miss me?" he asked, patting the swell in Leah's tummy.

Tony laughed, softly. "I'm sure the baby missed hearing you talk to it. Why don't we go take your jackets off and we'll have some lunch?"

"Okay," Jack said, kissing Leah's belly one more time before getting up to follow his father.

"Aren't you going to join Abba and Jack?" Leah asked when Tali didn't move.

Tali shook her head and snuggled closer to her stepmother.

Leah had feared this was going to happen. Tali had already suffered losing Ziva, she still didn't understand why Ima had not come to visit her—she was terrified that Mama and Abba were going to leave as well. Leah gave her a little kiss on the top of her head. "It's okay, Tali. Abba and I are not going to let anyone take you away from us like that again."

The little girl whimpered and buried her face against Leah's sweater. "Mama, please, please don't take me away like Ima."

She was confused, her heart beat against her ribcage. _Take me away like Ima…_ what did that mean? "Oh, sweetie, we're not taking you anywhere; this is your home now, baby girl."

Tony had come back into the kitchen with Jack in tow and heard his daughter's comments. He was just as startled and puzzled as his wife. Every once and a while Tali would mention Ziva, ask where Ziva was, but had the last few days triggered a memory in her, or created one? He reached down and scooped his daughter out of Leah's arms and kissed her cheek. It was his silent assurance to her that she was safe here.

"How about peanut butter and jelly for lunch?" Leah asked getting to her feet and wiping her tears away.

"Yum!" Jack exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"Grape jelly?" Tali asked, quietly, her head nestled against Tony's shoulder.

"Of course," Leah said, smiling at her.

Immediately Tali's eyes lit up and the little girl that Leah and Tony loved started to shine through. Tony was able to get their daughter out of her winter coat and out of his arms. She was still cautious and her parents didn't blame her. In her young life she had lost her mother, moved to a foreign country to live with her father and his family that she didn't know, and then she had been rapidly taken away from them for a few days, shuffling around to people that she had just met months ago.

It occurred to Tony that getting Tali and Jack home was not the final hurdle that they were going to be facing. Tali was going to have trust issues, she was going to be scared that at any moment she could taken away from her home.

Tony and Leah were just going to have to do their best to assure that she was safe with them, always.


	15. Chapter 15

**Warnings:** Slight spoilers for S13

 **A/N:** Here is the last chapter! The beginning of the sequel has already been posted. Feedback is always appreciated :)

 **amaia-** _I'm still trying to piece together a head canon, but I don't think Tali was at the farmhouse when the fire broke out. I've been trying to throw little bits of foreshadowing in for a future story, and Tali's line was one of them :)_

* * *

Sometime in the middle of the night Tony felt the king sized bed shift. Opening his eyes, he glanced over his shoulder to see Tali lodge herself between him and Leah.

Tony was about to roll over and remove her from the bed and return her to her own, when Leah's eyes opened and she shook her head at him. Normally they wouldn't let the kids sleep in their bed, but tonight, perhaps they should be making an exception. He gently rolled over now, watching as Tali fell into a deep slumber, snuggled up to her stepmother.

Leah ran her fingers through the little girl's curls and kissed them. Resting her arm over Tali, she soon fell back to sleep as well, leaving Tony the only one still awake. He reached out and lightly traced his fingers over his wife's knuckles and then through his daughter's hair.

Tali had been clingy since coming home that afternoon. It had taken Tony a long time to get her to fall asleep in her own bed that night. He wasn't surprised that she had found her way into the master bedroom and into her parents' bed. After things had settled down in the house that afternoon, Tony had tried to call Director Elbaz—he needed to know what Tali's comments about Ziva taking her away meant. Had Ziva been aware that they were in danger and tried to get Tali to safety?

"Anthony," Leah mumbled, alerting him that she was not sleeping, "Try to sleep. Stop beating yourself up."

"What if she knew Leah?" Tony questioned. "If she knew that meant she wasn't comfortable calling NCIS."

Leah's eyes opened and she looked at him, sadly. "Maybe she didn't know _who_ was after her and _why."_

Tony shook his head and sighed, heavily. "I don't know. I can't stop thinking about what Tali said today."

"Honey, she's two; we don't know what she really meant."

"I hope it meant nothing."

"She's still confused, Tony. I know it's been almost a year but… time means nothing to a child."

He took a deep breath and propped himself up onto his elbow. Tony leaned over his daughter and kissed his wife, tenderly. He whispered for her to go back to sleep.

She snuggled underneath the covers and soon Leah actually fell back to sleep, leaving her husband the only one still awake—still thinking about what Tali had said and the implications that came with it.

* * *

Tim was sent on the task of finding Tony the following morning. He had arrived for work and dropped his gear, soon disappearing afterwards. Problem was, they now had a call out and Gibbs was steaming mad that the SFA was nowhere to be found.

Gibbs and Ellie had gone ahead of Tim and Tony, to meet Ducky and Jimmy at the crime scene, leaving Tim in charge of tracking down the senior field agent. He was instructed by the former marine to "give him the hardest slap to the back of his head he's ever felt"

He finally ended up finding Tony in MTAC, talking with a man that Tim immediately recognized from Ziva's funeral—Adam Eschel. Why was Tony contacting Eschel? They had no cases involving Mossad at the current time, it was like Vance was doing his best to avoid the foreign agency.

"I was not even aware Ziva had a baby until the funeral," Adam confessed. "She kept in touch but at a distance. I always figured it was because she was breaking away from Mossad—not because she had a child."

"So, she wasn't working back at Mossad when she died?" Tony questioned. "I know that Tali is only two, but a normal two-year-old would not request that my wife and I did not take her away like Ima did."

Adam shook his head. "If she came back to Mossad, I was not aware of it."

Tony sighed and thanked him before signing off. "Dead end," he muttered to himself before turning to find Tim standing there, starting at him. "Great, let me guess...I missed a call out."

Tim frowned. "We've been searching all over the building for you—Gibbs is pissed. He wanted me to give you the hardest head slap of your life."

"Well, we better get moving then," Tony said with a chuckle. "Or has the boss left without us."

"He left without us," Tim replied with a wince. "Why were you talking to Eschel?"

"Something Tali said last night," Tony confessed.

"A two year old had you rushing in here to talk to Mossad?" Tim questioned, a confused look on his face.

"She asked Leah not to take her away like Ima."

"Wait? What?"

Tony sighed. "My thoughts exactly."

Tim noticed the slight circles underneath Tony's eyes. Tali's comment had kept him up all night. "Do you think Ziva knew there was trouble coming? That she and Tali were probably in danger?"

He wasn't sure. So many thoughts had run through his head since Tali had returned home yesterday afternoon. Since Ziva's remains had never been recovered in the ashes after the fire, Tony had held onto some hope that she had survived and would be following Tali. He envisioned her finally returning to Washington, coming back to the family, where their daughter had _both_ her parents in her life. Months after the fire and the funeral in Israel, Tony realized that the chances of Ziva surviving that fire were slim—and she never would have left Tali for that long. While he struggled with the theory that Ziva had gotten Tali out of the farmhouse before succumbing to smoke inhalation, it was the only one that made sense at that point.

Now, what if Ziva was aware that someone was looking for those files? If NCIS knew about Jacob Scott, Mossad had to have known as well. Surely, Elbaz would have warned Ziva. "I think she did know trouble was coming. She left Tali in a safe place and went back to the farmhouse for whatever reason—maybe to destroy the files—and the hitman fired his RPG."

"We should have sent someone to Israel the moment we found out Kort was looking for her," Tim muttered.

"Would it have mattered, Tim?" Tony asked, honestly.

"Yes—I like to think it would—she'd be alive."

"And my life would be even more complicated—but at least Tali would have her mother."

Tim shuffled his feet. The longer they stood there talking about this, the longer they were away from the case—and Gibbs was only going to get angrier. "Might be one of those times we'll never find the truth."

Tony grunted and glanced at his watch. "We better get a move on before Gibbs blows. It won't be a pretty sight if that happens and I'm in no mood to clean up that mess today, you?"

"God, no."

"Sounds about right. Let's go. Don't worry, either, I'll let Gibbs head slap me and not you."

* * *

Leah was the only one still up by the time Tony made it home that night. She was wearing a crew cut sweatshirt and flannel pants, sitting in front of a fire. "I called Dr. Bellamy this afternoon."

Tony slipped out of his jacket and hung it up in the closet. Dr. Bellamy was their family counselor; she had helped the couple through their marital problems, helped Tony through his depression, and once a month she would check in with Tali. "And?"

"She wants to see Tali this week," Leah replied. "She thought the comment was odd too."

"Did she have any insight on where it came from?" Tony asked.

"Tali's memories are jumbled because she's young. It might feel like Ziva just took her away from her home and left her here. She thinks it's time that we start to explain to her that her mother is dead, and she is not coming back," she said with a sad sigh.

"Explaining death to a child isn't easy. She's two and a half. Is she going to understand what we're really saying? Or are we going to make matters worse?" he countered.

Leah unwound her legs and shifted on the sofa. "That's why Dr. Bellamy wants to see her first. She recommended some materials for us, books we can read, books we can read to Tali, and maybe Jack as well. He's going to start to question why Tali calls you _abba_ and not _daddy._ "

Tony sat down with her and rubbed his hands over his face. She had told him how Eric had observed that his children called him two different names; Jack was just as intelligent. "Any books for those situations? _My Daddy had a One Night Stand and now I Have a Sister…_ "

She glanced at him, sternly. "Anthony."

He sighed and collapsed backwards, against the cushions. "Hey, I could have said _My Daddy Couldn't Keep it In His Pants…"_

"Clearly, because you will have three children in four years," Leah teased him.

"Hey!" Tony snapped.

"You brought it up; not me."

"Just rub more salt into the wound why don't you?"

Leah smiled, sweetly at him and leaned over. She rested her hand on his chest and kissed his mouth. "I think explaining to Tali and Jack that they have different mothers is going to be easier than you think; children are very tolerant at a young age—it's the adults that foster the intolerance."

Tony wrapped his arm around his wife, drawing her closer and resting her head against his shoulder. His fingers lazily slipped through her hair. "Dr. Bellamy must think I'm the worst man in the entire world."

She kissed his cheek. "Tony, you're not a bad man. Look at what you did this week alone—you helped a lost little boy find a family. Eric is the happiest he has ever been; you should have seen him today when he stopped by, how excited he was for school, calling Breena _mom._ "

He eased, slightly. "Really?"

"Really. You beat yourself up too much."

"So you keep telling me and I keep forgetting."

Upstairs they could hear Tali calling for Leah. Gently she leaned over, kissed Tony and headed up to the little girl's room to help settle her down for the evening.

Tony sighed and got to his feet. In the kitchen there was a stack of photo frames, he recognized them as the ones that Leah kept in the entrance and liked to put new photographs in them every couple of months. In the top frame was a recent picture, probably taken that afternoon of Eric Barnes with Tali, Jack, and Victoria. In the picture all he saw were four kids that were happy, loved, and he realized _that_ was the promise of family.


End file.
